Robotech: Beneath a Steel Sky
by Sgt-Sparki
Summary: The SDF-1 faces a new enemy deadlier than the Zentraedis themselves. It is up to a small group of men and women to forge a new army and defend the helpless souls of Macross City... Chapters 6, 7, 8 uploaded.
1. Disclaimer Infopeadia

Disclaimerstuff

First of all, the characters of the original series such as Lisa Hayes, Admiral Gloval, Claudia Grant and the rest (such as Rick Hunter and other heroes of Robotech) are of course property of Harmony Gold! The rest of this fic such as the main plot and other "non-original" characters are property "Groovechampion" (aka SGTJONES or SGT$parki) and Chris Caldwell, who plays as a character himself in this fic.

So no legal worries, I hope.

Things you should know

This Robotech/Macross fic is actually still a work-in-progress job and therefore is a not-finished story (yet). Unlike many of the great fics here at and , this fic flows as an ongoing epic-story - Somewhat real-time. Writing is not really my strength, especially when you're living in Germany - so I'll just excuse myself already here and now. Feedback and reviews belong to the things I wish readers to post, even if they have not read the whole fic (you would need time for it, hehe).

Currently, I must work my way through the whole fic from the beginning, adding new ideas and plots, so I'll be adding a short comment at the chapter-selection when a chap has been updated.

This story is a long-time project that started at least a year or two ago. In order to give the reader to understand the story without having to read annoying comments right in the middle of the plot, the following topics with short descriptions should help to understand. The technical stuff will mainly be sci-fi based - doing the best I can. I will try to avoid as much spoilers as possible. The following should also be seen as a type of "Robotech-o-pedia", similar to the one found at 

Certain military ranks and other titles that deal with ranks etc. are fictional - Especially the names of the duties of the bridge officers have been slightly altered, in order to maintain a type of difference between them (despite the usual military rank system). Unlike the original series, a few additional "stations" have also been added such as one that deals with navigation/maneuvering of the SDF-1, including a new character that more likely has the unique 'ability' to control this station.

"Battloid Battleroid"

I prefer to call the "mecha-mode" of Valkyries "Battleroid". No big reason why - think it sounds better. Soldier mode will also be used as an alternative.

"Rated 'R' Oo?"

This fic contains blood, a certain level of violence and occasional scenes with 'lemon' (please do not ask what exactly is meant by 'lemon' ;-)). The fic is not truly rated "R" throughout it's plot, but it was set to this level just to make sure that none of the "younger readers" read this fic.

(Chapters with anything close to 'lemon' or so will contain a small advice at the chapter-selection, so no worries :-))

"Does this fic contain what Mediaminers call - 'lemon'?"

Ok ok. Well, the fic does contain certain, em, adult scenes, but these will definitely not go over the limit (This is another reason why this fic is set on 'R'). But don't worry, those chapters consisting of 'adult love' scenes will have the appropriate warning in the chapter selection. Anyways, 'lemon' is really hardcore – so don't worry, hentai is not available (even though a selected few asked for it ;-)).

Update: Informed myself over the forums – What actually exists in this fic is "Lime", the 'softer' version ;). Just a warning, hehe.

Why are you making such a long fic?

The fact that I hate very short stories or long ones with plenty plot-holes kinda encouraged me to write and my buddy on the other side of the world, Chris Caldwell, who acts as a character and an author. Starting from a simple plot about a year or two ago, we've continued along with the help of many friends around the world that supported us. Once you start, you can't stop :) I, myself, am not doing it for any prestige, money or any thing alike. Nonetheless, it's a chance to make an own story just by using time, a keyboard and the advice of friends. I hope to learn how to write better, so reader comments and reviews are welcome, no matter if good or bad. This fic will also be the basis for following sequels.

Note: The stories mentioned above are not the ones meant here at ;-)

Speech within the fic

In order to keep an overview between different speech forms (such as thinking and communication speech) the following type of quotes will be used:

"...." he say. Referring to the number of quotes. This is the standard speech you know.

""...."" He said. This means the person is using communication devices, like radios for an example.

"""...""" He thought. This means the person is thinking, speaking to himself, which no one else can hear.

Generally, conversations with "" that are held over commlines usually ends with a frequency scratch.

As the story exceeds, many readers will notice "strange writing" when it comes to certain conversations. This is done on purpose, especially to bring in the feeling of accents, since many people of many nations reside in and around the SDF-1 (It's a small world), such as the French pronunciation. Nearly everybody on the SDF-1 will speak English. Some will speak as usual, some will have bad language/grammar and others will speak perhaps in a manor that is likely to be unusual. Alien and foreign languages are written imaginatively, which means that they have no real meaning in real life (since I don't know how to speak Russian, for example)

Note: In order to give the Chinese accent the common "exaggerated" pronunciation in speech, certain words will be written in capitol. If you feel this is unnecessary, feel free to email me or put your opinion about it in a review.

---**The RT-Universe**---

Here are the main things that are going to be different from the main version of Robotech, but before I start, I need to explain a few things. Although this story will deal with the first Robotech-War, the plot will actually take place around the timeline where the SDF-1 is between Jupiter and Saturn somewhere in the Solar System and the epic-battle will more likely not be fought against the Zentraedi forces directly. In other words, you could say this fanfiction story belongs to the "alternative universe".

The original SDF-1

The SDF-1, which crashed on Macross Island in the original Robotech, has a length 1210m long and later has a capacity of 3500 crewmen, 1500 pilots,11000 troops personel and approximately 70,000 civilians. This data was taken and can be viewed at: ?id6 . It is advised to read it's short story as well as the timeline, in case you possess no knowledge about Robotech/Macross (best would be to view the timeline as well to give you a better ?startyear1999&endyear2014&primaryseriesMAC

My imaginative SDF-1

**My SDF-1** must contain more people, space, and undiscovered decks... which means longer and larger. In order to make it clear, this SDF-1 version must contain space for 700,000 people (more or less). Yes, this is a lot, but in order to make the city inside like a real city, more people would be needed. The SDF-1 itself is therefore like maybe 10 to 12 kilometers long and definitely larger than the original (talking somewhat about the moon being the size of earth, as a rough example). Of course, Macross Island would also be a lot larger than normal, so that this gigantic fortress would have enough space to crash-land on.

Update: I forgot that many readers might be unfamiliar with the metric system – So the imaginative SDF-1 would have the size of approx. 8 miles. Of course, the length is very exaggerated, but is necessary. The SDF-1 in this fic would be longer that Babylon 5 (for those fans who don't know, the Babylon 5 station is approx. 5 miles).

"Looks so small from the outside, so why things are so big inside?"

At this case, the space "inside" large objects (such as the SDF-1) will more likely be expanded - making the "inside" seem larger than the outside. The sense of this is give the reader a type of feeling of being a really big city. Each district is accessible by gigantic gateways that can be shut down and sealed (more later).

"MITZ/MIT"

Macross Island Time Zone

"Gravity"

The outer hull of the SDF-1, which is made out of Hyper-Carbonite, possesses a slight magnetic effect upon objects around it. Especially Veritechs, which are usually mainly made of standard Carbonite, are able to stand, move or hover over the hull without the negative effect of drifting off in space, unless they leave the area of effect. The magnetic effect is a naturally weak effect, but can be enhanced and intensified by the settings of energy flown into certain regions of the Veritech. As an example, a Destroid battle unit would tend to have a lot more carbonite and thus a higher traction/friction level than the common VF-1 Valkyrie.

Inside the SDF-1, including the bridge citadel, gravity is slightly different. A gigantic Protoculture gravity unit is exactly between the upper city deck and the lower under-deck (explained later). Providing the city with a similar gravity like on Earth, there are certain physical aspects that apply differently, such as Veritechs (mainly Destroids and especially Valkyries). The gravity-effect of this unit upon Carbonite is dampened and sometimes even tends to anti-gravity effects, causing the Valkyrie to have a very low traction upon the ground and in air. This is very dangerous since many areas areas of the inner city is densely habitated. While this side effect is a definite disadvantage, which does not allow Valkyries to operate well, the RDF can still have Valkyries transported throughout the city with any trouble.

Upon organic creatures, such as humans, dogs, cows or other animals within the city (and hydroponic farms), although gravity feels like on Earth, there is a slight difference, especially when people jump. Often, the citizens of the Macross City deck are often reminded not to jump in enclosed areas with low ceilings, especially due the fact that the gravity unit of the ship only applies weak and slow to 'sudden physical changes'. There has been several cases where certain people received embarrassing head injuries and traumas by accident only because they ran up the stairs too fast as well as a very long and unsuccessful searches for grav-golf balls in recreational districts – But never the less, the gravity is able to maintain a constant 'grip' upon single people within a few seconds. Over a longer period of time, it can get a little bit hard to escape the constant 'grip' of the unit.

Remember: This is all fiction (despite that this is a fan-fiction). In the original city, everything and anyone could walk or move without any problems ;-) 

"The Reflex-Cannon and the Hyperdrive-System"

Another major change is that the SDF-1 itself does not need to transform into the "Mecha-Version" to have the energy-conduits be connected to fire off the Reflex-Cannons, nor will the transformation option be available - So in other words, the SDF-1 would be able to charge and discharge it's Reflex-Cannons in cruiser-mode without the need for transformation.

(Note: In this fic, however, due to a certain incident, the use of the Reflex-Cannon will be terminated...).

Similar to the original story, the Hyperdrive-System of the SDF-1 has disappeared after the misfold near Pluto.

Operation-Stations and Command Units of the Bridge Citadel

Perhaps interesting for those readers who are new to the Robotech continuum, I've added this section so that you could understand how things work at the bridge of the SDF-1. Very easy to understand especially for those who knows about StarTrek ships.

An image from the original series: 

A close-up of the internal area: 

The bridge

Unlike the original series, the internal area of the bridge will also be a lot wider and filled with many bridge operatives, commanders and officers of the RDF. From an overview point, the bridge is seen as two divided sections. The frontal section (towards the gigantic window ), which takes nearly 3/4th of the whole bridge, consists of many sub-operation stations and units that supports the rear bridge command section. Having an overview over the frontal section, the rear command section is four meters above the frontal section. This area is where all leading bridge commanders, including Admiral Gloval, have their stations. Usually, Admiral Gloval's orders are given to the bridge officers and operatives around him who then distribute his orders to the frontal sections. Especially orders led to Lisa Hayes require the support of the frontal section that deals with fleet command operations. Although there are different secret possibilities to gain access to the main bridge, the bridge can only be entered by the access door at the command section. Many guards beyond this access door guard the corridors to other rooms and sections of the bridge citadel.

Rear bridge command section

"Admiral's Chair"

- Admiral Gloval's station

As for every typical of battleship throughout the RDF, the 'Admiral's Chair' or 'Commander's/Admiral's Seat' is indeed a seat filled with all systems needed in order to contact the frontal sections of the bridge. Placed at the center of the rear command section, the Admiral is surrounded by primary stations such as Sensory and Engineering and others, making it possible for the Admiral's orders to be fulfilled within seconds. While many see this seat probably as the most comfortable seat within the whole battlefortress, many nonetheless underestimate the responsibilities and duties that are burdened within it. Typical for the behavior of Admiral Gloval, many operatives admire his endurance in sitting on the same spot longer than a day - Constantly looking like a worried king on a cursed throne.

"Fleet Control Operations"

- maintained by Fleet Commander/X.O. Lisa Hayes' station

Probably one of the most important stations aside from sensory and engineering, this station deals with the monitoring of all Veritech-Units, specifically Valkyrie-Squadrons. Connected directly with the secondary flight-control-deck just ahead at the lower sections, Fleet Commander Lisa Hayes possesses full control upon all units that are stationed, launched or deployed. The upper console area consists of special phones, controls for alert status and a 'minimized' version of a sensor grid that allows her to see the vicinity of the SDF-1 The main console below also contains a large touch-sensitive screen and integrated keyboard pads. Another vital aspect of this station is it's direct link to the Protoculture Datacore, which possess secrets and information of the Zentraedi. The translation of the Protoculture language is a skill that only Lisa Hayes and Vanessa Leeds possess. Automated translation-systems require a lot more time to compute and distribute this difficult sophisticated language. Requiring much attention, this station belongs to one of the most difficult to maintain, especially due to the fact that it inherits many responsibilities that can decide over life and death of every single pilot out in space. This station lies a few meters ahead and to the left of the 'Admiral Seat'.

"Communication Operations"

- maintained by Bridge Commander/C.O. Claudia Grant's station

Although this station may have many similar aspects to the Fleet-Control-Ops station, this station is used primarily for communication control of internal and stationary military units throughout the whole ship. Having a row of sophisticated systems for communication, Bridge Commander Claudia Grant has full control of Destroid Battalions, the internal "law enforcement" (Police and Military) as well as the control to the tactical gunnery station ahead in the lower section that maintain all offensive and defensive turrets everywhere along the hull of the SDF-1. In other words, it is up to Commander Grant to hear everything - see everything and know everything that moves within and around the SDF-1. In many cases, Claudia does her best by supporting Lisa Hayes in fulfilling extensive orders. The Communication-Operations Station lies ahead and to right side in front of the 'Admiral's Seat'.

"Sensor Array/Sensory/Surveillance Operations"

- maintained by Sensory Officer - 1st Class; SDF-1 Operative; Specialist/Officer Vanessa Leeds

Sophisticated and highly detailed in efficiency as well as the largest section that uses most of the space in the rear command section, this station indeed performs itself as the 'eyes' of the battlefortress. Using the newest system from 'Holographic-Visuality' technology, this gigantic screen that nearly spans across the right side of the 'Admiral's Seat'. While the user does not require a large pad, he - or this case, she - must be dexterous, flexible and aware, as this system can easily detect super large objects or fields of massive units - mainly Zentraedi battle pods. The sensory station itself is connected directly to the sensor array dish of the SDF-1 which is able to detect, scan and survey hundreds and thousands of kilometers ahead - However, the ability to understand and interpret the collected information, including visual identification requires highly skilled officers who can deal with holotech systems. Although the screen is deep blue, it is able to focus deep and precisely onto any target as well as the vital ability to detect the current position the SDF-1 in the Solar System. Scientists have also discovered that the SDF-1's sensor dish possesses the unique ability to pinpoint it's position within the galaxy... That is, if it should ever go so far out. However, weeks - or even months - of patience would be required.

Similiar to Lisa Hayes' station, the surveillance station also possess a direct link to the SDF-1's Protoculture Datacore, allowing it to identify alien vessels and other unidentified objects. For sure, anybody can maintain the rather simple and obsolete radar - but when it comes to space, radar is seldom reliable, despite it's reputation from the past - From this point, this is where highly skilled specialists are needed. Belonging to one of the best in her class during the academy, Officer Vanessa Leeds maintains this highly delicate system like no other officer or substitute. Unknown to everybody around her, a holo-picture of a certain Valkyrie pilot and her is hidden below her console...

"Engineering and Power Allocation Management Control"

- maintained by Engineer Officer - 2nd Class; SDF-1 Operative Kim Young

- also maintained by Engineer Officer - 3rd Class; Sensory Officer - 3rd Class; SDF-1 Operative Kim Young

As for SDF-1 Operatives Kim Young and Sammie Porter, both of their stations possess the aspect of having various numbers of screens and displays, as well as a large variety of diagnostic systems. Having the ability to have access to multiple areas of the ship, it is Kim Young's job to maintain every system of the ship that deals with engineering and internal operations, the ship's defensive systems of all kinds, interior crew management, and most importantly, the Protoculture Powergrid Allocation. It is clear that she can not maintain all systems at once, but she has learned to handle the stress as well as to welcome the support of her friend and crewmate, Sammie Porter.

Especially when it comes to the need of a decent communication flow between the bridge and the lower decks, Sammie Porter is able to provide a helping hand. It has happened often that Admiral Gloval has ordered her to maintain the offensive Gunnery Operations during certain attacks - despite her low ranking and her naive and inexperienced manor in leadership. Contacting the combat ships held within the hangars of the SDF-1 also belongs to Sammie Porters daily duty as well. Unknown to all bridge officers, Sammie Porter also possess a hidden picture of a certain Valkyrie pilot... The same person that Vanessa's photo reveals. Both stations are behind the "Admiral's Chair", to the left and right side. Just between both stations lies the primary access door to the bridge command center.

Frontal bridge command area

-commanded by Commodore John Travis

While many sections within the frontal area only deal to support and redirect orders from the rear section, there are certain stations that do possess unique aspects. Commanded and supervised by Commodore John Travis, his tactical advice and strategical knowledge are fulfilled by each station.

"The 'Consciousness' of the SDF-1 - Navigation Control/NavCon Interface"

- maintained by Chief Navigator/Dr. Karen-Lindsay Young (Sister of Kim Young)

Although the SDF-1 can be controlled from the rear bridge command section, it has often been proven that this special station can maintain the navigational controls of the whole battlefortress only by the hands and mind of a single person within a matter of seconds. Ever since the first launch of the SDF-1, this station has shown it's unique aspect for the first time. Definitely, it would have taken a lot more discipline, work and concentration of Kim Young and Sammie Porter to compensate the same balance issues of the thrusting systems that have occurred. Throughout the years long before the repairs upon the SDF-1 were completed, Dr. Young has spent her most of lifetime understanding this system (perhaps one of the reasons why her younger sister does not possess a tight relationship with her), especially ever since she joined the RDF's Research Department that deals in-depth with secrets of the SDF-1 and Protoculture.

Being the first and only person who has entered the world of PSI and Telepathic Operation, Dr. Karen-Lindsay Young is the only "pilot" who has the potential skill to control the battlefortress and "feel" the "consciousness" of all nearly all systems throughout the ship - Very Often a surprise for Sensory Officer Vanessa Leeds as Dr. Lindsay Young often detects and sense incoming objects deep within space long before they are detected on her holo-screen. The appearance of the Navigation Control is a very interesting sight among the bridge crew. From what they can see, the navigator can "lay" on a comfortable seat-bed surrounded by a smaller version of a blue holo-screen, as well as two grip-controls and thin holo-panels connected with hundreds of cables.

Each time Dr. Lindsay Young's skills are needed, she slowly climbs into her so-called "sleeping chamber" and lays on simple and yet sophisticated virtual-reality headgear - which at first has a transparent blue color, then turns totally into black when activated - that covers up the upper half of her face. Already used to the activation sequence, Dr.Lindsay stays calm and relaxed. Undergoing a rather dangerous procedure, at the very moment she lays her hands upon the grip-controls of the Navigation Control, her life signs drop into a state of coma - and yet - she is still at consciousness. Stated from her very own words, at the moment she opens her eyes again, the mist of another world surrounds her.

While many would imagine her in a cyberworld, it is a lot different than expected. Although floating in a rather dark blue and foggy area, she can hear many things around her... Voices, sounds of energy, noise from hundreds of frequency-lines and even echoes of her own heartbeat and breathing can be heard. It took a long while until she was able to get used to such noise as well as improving her "accessing ability" between her and the SDF-1's inner world. Able to understand the voices in reality, Dr. Young can fulfill orders within seconds - Should it be simple course corrections or the need for maneuvering the SDF-1 out of any danger, she is the best navigational pilot Admiral Gloval can count on. It is only the matter of her mind and concentration to "tell" the ship when to active this or that certain thruster. Instinctively operating the controls in reality, her hands move the grip-controls at the same time, supporting her navigational requests. If there are any things she needs to report, she simply contacts the person she wishes to speak with over the internal bridge commline - Occasionally, her words appear upon their screens.

Another interesting fact of her abilities is that she is also able to maintain a physical and mental status exactly between both reality and virtual-reality worlds. This is the situation where her VR-headset is deactivated (blue glass and transparent) - however still shows a sign of being hypnotized and under a "state of shock", as her eyes do not react. At this state, she is able to perform her duty for hours... even days without the interruption of the common "human-needs". Some bridge officers tend to call her "zombie" as they wonder how she can do such a task more than a few months.

This mysterious and yet unique station lies at the certain of the frontal station, surrounded by the fleet-command-deck and other secondary stations that support the rear command section.

"Flight Control Deck"

- maintained by certain officers and many SDF-1 Operatives

While the main goal of this "station" is to support the commands of Fleet Commander Lisa Hayes, it is their duty to uphold communication and status of every single unit throughout all Veritech squadrons at all times- no matter if Destroid, Valkyrie or any other Veritech. The RDF and the fleets of squadrons within the SDF-1 require the guidance of this unit especially during combat alerts.

"Gunnery Operations"

- maintained by certain officers and many SDF-1 Operatives

This station deals with the pure use of the hundreds and thousands of turrets, cannons, long range cannons, energy weapons, missile launchers placed all around the hull of the SDF, as well as the Reflex-Cannon. Sounding simple, the tasks of every single gunner is a lot more difficult than expected. It requires much knowledge in aiming skills and the physics of space and vectors. If the use of the Reflex-Cannon is needed, the Gunnery Operation station requires a clean and constant communication flow between them and the engineering deck, since the Reflex-Cannon need the power of the Protoculture power core and its so-called Powergrid.

"Internal Enforcement Operations"

- maintained by certain officers and many SDF-1 Operatives

Acting nothing more else than a small "command headquarters" for all types of enforcement units - This station commands all military and police forces throughout the ships, mainly those stationed throughout the Macross City deck. Overviewing and diverting the commands of officers, many operatives usually contact the commanders of those certain forces using their consoles for internal communication and navigation (Internal mainframe maps of the inner city, usually).

----

There are another selected few of stations and operations, but many of them only deal as a matter of supporting other stations and units throughout the bridge citadel.

----

Organizations, new Governments and Nations of Earth

In order to give the reader a better orientation in the background story, here is a explanation of the few major organizations on Earth. These organizations do play a vital in the plot. The world back then was at war (Third World War) when the SDF-1 crash-landed on Macross Island.

-"United Earth Government"-

Formed by many world leaders of Earth after the SDF-1's planetfall during the Third World War, many nations have founded various numbers of administrations and organizations. One of most important ones founded was the Robotech Defense Force, short RDF. The RDF dealt in-depth with a possible threat of an alien force called the 'Zentraedi'. Although many nations have signed peace-treaty agreements and the world conflict has ended, a selected few of the nations were not satisfied with the regulations of the new worldwide governmental organization.

The United Nation Organization have made countless attempts in solving minor conflicts around the world diplomatically but their efforts failed. Underestimating the consequences of their failed efforts, a new hostile organization has forged itself from those nations that stood against the UEG... lead by so called "Anti-Coalitionists". The UEG today consists of many American and European Nations, especially those that belong to the UN.

-"Dynasty of China - Under the fangs of 'Greater East Asian Coprosperity/AUL'"-

Years ago, China has had conflict of it's own as it's nation begun with the question for the freedom of individuals, having both the military and the government questioned their sense of existence. The conflict between military regiments and the population exceeded into a landscape-wide battle across China as the civilians revolted for a more democratic nation. Years of bloodshed and military actions against the nation have gone by until both sides have decided to form a blood truce agreement.

Having arguments in having the government lead by democratic or communistic organs and not able to find an agreement, both sides have decided to choose a neutral governmental method, which had many similarities with a constitutional monarchy and pure dictatorship.

Following the traditions of China's history, the nation has revived it's long old forgotten heritage. Due to unknown reasons, leaders of the military suddenly had a conflict between it's ideological view of the world and the way how the UN and the United States lead their troops around the world, moving from one part of the world to another - acting like a world police... A fact that the military of China did not accept at all. Unable to retrieve power over the military on time, the newly pledged emperor for ruling China was forced to see his own military pull the whole nation and it's allies into an unwanted war, only because the military feared their own existence. As the Third World War occurred, the nation of China was forced to fight a war instanced by their military...

After the long war, the planetfall of the SDF-1 and finally gaining power over the military, the New Dynasty of China has decided to maintain a neutral status between the UEG and the Anti-Coalitionists - although leaving the option free for volunteers to join any organization under the UEG. The UEG and especially the RDF profits from the deeds and skills of the civilians of the New Dynasty who have decided freely to support the resurrection of the alien ship.

"Status of the Chinese Military in the RDF"

Although the New Dynasty of China proclaimed neutrality, the situation between the UEG, the AUL and China has calmed down after a few years. As more and more Chinese people relocated themselves on Macross Island, the UEG slowly began to notice their strive for discovery and adventure – and the crash-landed alien vessel surely had more than plenty to discover. Deciding to give the opportunity for China again, the UEG renewed its request for the full participation of China's civilian population and military as well as the possibility to take part as pioneers in the exploration of the alien ship. In order not to violate the terms of neutrality, China accepted the UEG's request under certain regulation. Although the Chinese military forces must follow certain orders of the RDF, they are still obliged to serve the Dynasty of China. As the years went by, the RDF granted China's military forces to enter the secret projects "Excalibur" and "Valkyrie", which dealt in developing Robotechnology-based weapon systems. Although both technology projects developed Destroids, the Chinese have decided to use VF-1s as the primary military unit within their air force.

As the threat of an alien attack slowly became to be the prime concern of the RDF and China's Air Force, it was clear that RDF would need all the support it could receive. Despite the limited numbers of Chinese squadrons, it became clear that they would suffer high losses if they were to enter direct conflicts – That is, IF it should ever come to a conflict. Deciding to improve the weapon systems, they have altered the basic version of the VF-1 significantly. One of the main aspects of their special VF-1 was that is not made for direct close-air combat, but developed for the use extended range weapon systems, especially one of the most feared and yet efficient missile systems – armed with a cross-developed Proto-Nuclear warhead, a high yield weapon that can cause major destruction upon a vast area. Probably the most important aspect, this weapon can deal massive destruction upon an area without the usual nuclear fallout. In order to avoid any protests, these missile types can only be deployed in outer space (more information about this weapon system and the Chinese Valkyrie can be found at the RDF Veritech Unit section, a lot lower).

"Current status of the Chinese Military onboard the SDF-1"

After months of battles against the Zentraedi, the Chinese military and civilian population is trapped on board the SDF-1 in space like everybody else. Although the Chinese military supports the RDF and the SDF-1 the best they can, they do not fully follow the orders of Admiral Gloval, since he does not belong to the Chinese Dynasty. Acting as the chief in command, General Li Wenlong has full command over the Chinese faction of the SDF-1. During the last battle against the Zentraedi, the Chinese faction suffered heavy losses that forced the General to recall all Chinese military units away from space combat. Although the General tries to support the RDF, he is mainly concerned about the Chinese civilians onboard the SDF-1, who mainly reside in the east districts (more information can be found at the faction section).

-"Nations of the Anti-Unification League/Anti Coalitionists"-

Simple as it was, those nations that did not either belong to the UN (or later to the UEG) were those who were often presumed as financial supporters of the AUL. Claiming neutrality was not easy at all. While the UN would do everything to protect weak nations, the AUL would overrun them ruthlessly. It was also common that certain nations and governments splintered themselves from each other due to unequal ideological interests. Acting as the main aggressors who were responsible for the Third World War, it was clear that their goal was pure world domination, long before the crash of the alien battlefortress. One of the interesting facts about the AUL (and the later AC) was there was absolutely neither any information about the leaders nor the whereabouts of their whole HQ. It was only clear that the AUL was a truly hostile global organization...

As waves of conflicts occurred around the globe, there was no chance real chance in telling who was gaining the upper hand. The UN, the forces of the US, and several other nations had severe difficulties in maintaining a foothold against their enemy. Years later, only until the SDF-1's planetfall event and the discovery of Robotechnology, the UN and the other nations around them found the sign of success slowly rising upon the horizon. Fortunately, the integrity of the AUL crumbled away several months as the newly formed UEG focused on the use of newly discovered alien technology, especially after the mass production of the mecha-warfare series 'Valkyrie' and 'Destroid'. Winning the war, however, did not bring any light into the dark world of the AUL's history. In fact, their defeat led many of the nations who followed their world plan in a fog of illusions. Despite the victory of the UEG over the AUL, the situation around the globe struck fear once again as the new threat slowly rose from the dust of the AUL. It was a new mix of nations who were formerly enemies that forged a secret alliance against the UEG after the Third World War.

-"Germany, France and other European countries"-

Although many of these countries belonged to the UN, many of them were forced to survive on their own as the AUL had their forces spread around the world. Many years of went by as these countries fought for their liberty. As the world went through this war, it slowly became clear that they would not manage to survive if they would not work together as a unit.

-"Africa... The struggle for freedom"-

Only after the end of the Third World War, Africa finally survived its long struggle for stability and food. For decades over decades, Africa stood under the flames of its own conflicts and distress. Millions hungered and even more were unable to defend themselves against the warlords covering the land with their private armies. As the AUL slowly begun to find more supporters around the globe, these warlords found the AUL would bring them the pure chance in gaining land and financial power over the people. As the cry for freedom and liberty went around the globe, it became clear that the UN could no longer look away from this country and its conflicts. If Africa were to fall totally into the hands of the AUL, then it would be the first step to the downfall of the free world...

As the armies of the warlords were heavily fortified everywhere at every corner of Africa, it became clear that the UN would need the help from the oppressed population as well as the need for several task forces to gain foothold against the standing armies. As the years of the Third World War went by and the UN gained the upper hand, it became clear that their success only became true thanks to the nations struggle for liberty and individuals that forged alliances to support the UN and task force operations. As the Third World War ended, Africa finally managed to reach is goal in gaining stability.

---**The City inside the SDF-1**---

As everybody knows, the city inside the SDF-1 is called "Macross City". The city (or "Main City Deck")itself expands nearly throughout the whole ship and is full of large district areas. Each district has a vital function, which is important for all aboard the ship in order to survive the flight throughout the deepness of space. There are many engineering sections throughout the ship as well, including industrial and other mechanical areas.

The status of the civilian public

"Anti Coalition Faction"

Unlike the original plot of having the civilians just "worrying" around and following every order the RDF, there will be many civilians and others who do not wish to cooperate with the RDF at all. These people more likely belong to the forgotten faction of the "Anti-Coalition Faction" - who was seemed forgotten as a threat ever since the celebration of the SDF-1's takeoff.

Unknown to the RDF, this faction has somehow made its way onboard and they do not know (yet) that they are still actively trying to stop the RDF with all measures. They are truly hostile to any action of the RDF and would do anything to retrieve the hidden secrets throughout the ship. Throughout the districts of the Macross City deck, various groups still try to sabotage the RDF in any way they can - From revolts to other covert operations, every successful operation always lead the RDF into a maze of mysteries... It is true that this faction acts behind the shadows the RDF - Until now, the RDF was not able to figure the roots of the sabotaging acts.

"Robotech Defense Force (faction)" (short RDF)

This faction usually consists of all those who operates as military personnel of the whole ship - from commanding officer units to operatives and pilots - even the police forces for upholding law and order. The RDF onboard the SDF-1 is commanded by Admiral Henry J. Gloval, the highest ranked officer onboard. (Although Gloval is promoted later in the original series, the rank Admiral was acquired a lot earlier to apply the pure command of the entire ship) Mainly, the RDF takes the responsibility of protecting the SDF-1, it's crew and people, from constant attacks of the Zentraedi. The Veritechs, also know as battlemechs, are used as the military force of defense. The RDF has the largest amount of squadrons, troops and crewmen throughout the whole SDF-1.

"Engineering crew – (RDF)"

Due to the fact that the SDF-1 is full of engineering sections in order to keep the ship operational, many civilians and other mechanics have devoted themselves into controlling the vital systems of the ship, including district systems such as power, lighting, holo-sky images and others. Consisting mainly of those who can deal with difficult systems or with a simple wrench, the RDF counts on every engineer and volunteer who wish to support the crew.

"Macross City Police Force – (RDF)" (short MCP/MCPD)

Ever since the first Zentraedi attack many civilians were forced to board the SDF-1 and start a completely new life right after the misjump towards the outer rim of the Solar system. A great number of civilians often revolt and are uncooperative at certain times. Some are even willing to take hostages... It has been reported that many criminals of the past have seem to have sneaked themselves aboard as well. Nonetheless, the police take care of keeping the city safe and upholding the common law.

"Military Ground Forces - (RDF)"

There are many different types military bases with connections to the upper decks (usually to the Veritech docks) throughout the districts. If any threat should ever board the inner city of the SDF-1 and attack, these ground units would be the first respond immediately. From the common soldier to military specialists and field combat hardware, the military ground forces provides a standing army which can enter any state of emergency where the police forces fail to uphold control. Especially when it comes to inner-city troop deployments or evacuations, the army often relies on special grav-helicopters known as "Carryalls".

"Civilians (all)"

Unfortunately pulled into the conflict between Earth and the Zentraedis, civilians of all nations were forced to enter the SDF-1 and seek protection from the alien fleet and the deepness of space. Having no chance but to try to survive the next day, they have always been productive for the SDF-1, as it was clear that if the SDF-1 should lose the war, they would be in peril as well – despite the small portion of those who revolt against the orders of the RDF.

"Chinese Military Force – (CMF/RDF)" (short CMF)

Lead by General Li Wenlong, who is the supreme commander of all Chinese citizens, the Air Force and Army, the CMF has pulled itself away from all conflict situations due to recent great battle from the last few weeks. The CMF has a standing army of 7000 soldiers as well as 1000 skilled Veritech pilots who serve in Air Force. Seen as the master upon all, General Li Wenlong is obliged to protect and serve his people at all costs, whose destiny was pledged by the emperor of the New Dynasty. His skills and orders have never been opposed or questioned ever since he became the supreme leader. The General also belongs to the main council participants of the SDF-1, who decide over the future of the SDF-1.

"Soviet Strike Force" – (SSF)

Lead by General Gregori Slavanov, the Soviet Strike Force is a small faction of Russian soldiers and pilots who were stationed all around Macross Island. Forced by the misfold to the outer solar system, this faction supports the SDF-1 with their military strength the best they can. During the first months in space, the Soviet Strike Force suffered high losses of their VF-1As. Taking this fact seriously, the General ordered the engineers with the support of the Research Dept. to develop a new heavy assault Valkyrie. As time went by, they managed to bring in the "VFD-1A Dragnadaya" into production as well as a total refit of the remaining VF-1As. Ready for their first mission, all pilots under the SSF's command have finished their advanced training. Known for their slyness, many RDF pilots rival against the SSF pilots, although they both possess the same goal. Toughness seems to be an aspect that suits the Russian onboard the SDF-1 well.

Several other factions exist onboard the SDF-1, but these are minorities... generally 

**The "Majestica" Oberth-class - Unique Heavy-Destroyer/Cruiser** (Background story)

During the first Zentraedi encounter at high orbit above Earth, the RDF have sent four Oberth-class Destroyers and Armor-Class ARMD Carriers and fleets of defenders to support the SDF-1. Besides the SDF-1, these Oberth-class vessels belong to the pride of the RDF fleet. Holding their positions in a tight formation around the SDF-1, they suddenly received a deadly surprise as soon as the sun appeared upon the edge of the blue planet... Hundreds of streaming long-range plasma beams shot among the fleet, shredding nearly every large vessel besides the SDF-1, which remained undamaged.

The barrage only lasted about 30 seconds - but it did reveal the strength of the Zentraedi fleet. The crew of the RDF immediately focused it's operations on retrieving survivors of the fatal attack and figuring out a solution in how to escape or buy essential time for the fleet to recover. It was a tragic view observing the piercing beams cutting through the hulls of the Oberth-class vessels. The "Kenosha" lost various numbers of it's crew and engineering sections - especially the bridge area never had the chance of survival, the "Quebec-Lee" lost more than the half of it's hull - Although many escape pods could be retrieved, hundreds of equipment parts and other vehicles were thrown out into space due to high decompression... The "Hildegard" received multiple hits which blasted through certain power plant core sections causing the ship to loose all of it's power. Most of it's crew survived but were trapped in a dead vessel rotating powerlessly with the fleet at high orbit, . The last ship, probably the luckiest among the four vessels, received various numbers of hits from smaller beams rather than more intensive ones - from all Oberth-class vessel, the "Majestica" was the only ship able to respond back to the SDF-1, giving it's confirmation for full support of protecting the SDF-1.

Picking up another energetic charging event from the Zentraedi vessel from hundreds of kilometers away, Admiral Henry J. Gloval, the supreme commanding officer of the SDF-1, has decided to perform a full retreat by activating the hyperdrive-systems. For him it was clear that the Zentraedi's priority goal was to retrieve the SDF-1 - any opposition would be destroyed within seconds.

Preparing the sudden operation, the quantum-physic scientists of the RDF Research-Dept. confirmed that the procedure could be done and that the destination drop-point would lead toward the rear side of the moon. When the hyperdrive procedure occurred, the field generated around the SDF-1 expanded at a tremendous rate. Unable to control the field-expansion, it's area of effect started to drop down through the Earth's atmosphere and Macross Island...

After a gigantic prismatic flash, the SDF-1, a very large portion of the space fleet and the Earth's atmosphere and Macross Island and the surrounding ocean, including both super carrier's "Daedalus" and the "Prometheus", disappeared. Hours later, somewhere far away in the outer rim of the Solar System a large hyperjump-anomaly bubble flashed and revealed the battlefortress, it's fleet and their attackers, Macross Island with a large mass of water surrounding it and an atmospheric protection once again.

Navigators of the fleet have confirmed that their current position was somewhere near the elliptic orbit of Pluto. After a long struggle defeating the remaining enemy forces, which have been transported, the crew of SDF-1 has decided to rescue every single person on Macross Island, salvage any useful gear from destroyed crafts and other tasks. As the days passed by, engineers have came upon the idea of upgrading the remaining fleet. Seeing the "Majestica" as a stable platform, the engineering crew from all ships have concentrated on improving all of it's systems - including the attachments with damaged ARMD-Carriers and the three other severely damaged Oberth-class vessels. Working as efficient as they could, they managed to upgrade many areas of the ship without trouble. The SDF-1 and the frozen Macross Island remained long enough undetected by the Zentraedi, giving enough time to develop this new vessel.

Strategical commanders knew that a single Oberth-class vessel could never compete with the similiar Zentraedi destroyer. Therefore, the engineers were ordered to concentrate their operations on upgrades that could definitely support the fleet's capability versus such threat. After two months in deep space, most of the upgrades have been completed. The result was a new vessel that had the versatility of a cruiser, the superior firepower of a battleship, a much larger capacity for Veritechs and it could even be able to docked right under the SDF-1. Introducing new ways of Veritech combat deployment, the newly christened "Majestica" is able to launch several squadrons within a few minutes. One of it's major advantages over the SDF-1 was that the new "Majestica" possess a large number of turret fields that can fire off "Zarlon Particle Cell Ammunition" and also contained a large number of anti-interceptor flak-systems as well.

The crew itself consists mainly of those who survived the attacks upon the four destroyers. Although the ship is rather a prototype than a fully operational ship, they were able to keep the ship at it's full potential.

During a certain day, scans have suddenly shown that the atmospheric value around Macross Island in space was starting to dissolve. Also parts of the frozen ocean were starting to crumble due to an unknown matter. Admiral Gloval ordered an immediate evacuation of the troops and others from the Island and decided to lift off from their position. Leaving what was left from the island, the whole area collapsed as the violent grasp of vacuum finally destabilized the atmosphere, either crushing or tearing anything that stood exposed to space.

During the journey back to Earth, the SDF-1 and it's fleet was once again confronted by Zentraedi forces - but this time, the defending fleet survived. The Zentraedi battleships were unable to land critical hits upon the "Majestica" thanks to its new propulsion systems. Until today, the "Majestica" has proven itself as one of the best achievements of engineering innovations ever since the discovery of the SDF-1.

Currently, the "Majestica" is docked under the SDF-1 and is at green conditional alert...

**The undiscovered "Under-Deck"...**

Although the Macross City deck of the SDF-1 is the largest inhabitable area of the ship, another similar deck lies deep under the city. This area is somewhat dark and full of undiscovered mysteries. While it does contain life-supporting systems throughout the area, the crew of the SDF-1 is completely unknown to it's origin and contents. Only civilian technicians and other volunteers who wished to explore this dark and secret area have colonized a few "sections". Even upholding a stable communication-line between the upper and lower deck is nearly impossible. Simple frequented emissions such as radar or radio are somehow absorbed or reflected by the Hyper-Carbonite material and other super-alloys around.

Life deep below the city is not so bad - Many of the colonists have gotten used to the constant darkness and the very soft draft of wind due to unequal air-pressures throughout the whole deck. Just a small military force protects the outposts and colonist bases. Connected by railways, trains and other transports are used to transport troops and equipment through to the outpost areas. Establishing only a few outposts throughout the whole lower deck, the colonist continue to explore the area, despite the fact of the SDF-1 being under attack from time to time. Currently, the communication systems deep under the city deck are being repaired due to unknown malfunctions.

**The RDF's Veritech Squadrons, Battalions and special Units**

Veritechs, or "Mechas" in other words, are massive hulks of military vehicles that are powered by Protoculture-Fusion-Drives. Unlike conventional military vehicles, these Veritechs are more efficient, capable of exceeding beyond usual limits of known physics.

Keeping a separation between the Veritechs, "Destroids" are generally ground-based Mechas - usually advanced defensive units with high capabilities in use of anti-aircraft weaponary. "Valkyrie" is the general classification of Veritechs that are capable of transforming into three different modes, allowing it to improve it's combat ability in certain situations. Valkyries belong to the RDF's primary intercepting aircraft versus the Zentraedi fleet. Currently, the RDF and their mechanical engineers have completed a row of newly upgraded Valkyries and other mechas...

"VF-1D Valley-Cat" - Hybrid Prototype Valkyrie

Ever since the SDF-1 continued it's struggle back to Earth, it became clear that the RDF requires new innovations to improve their stand against the Zentraedi. From countless prototypes, a certain row of Valkyries have been refitted, tested and are waiting for their first true combat in space. Seen as a special crossover between the casual VF-1D rookie-trainer Valkyrie and the typical Destroid, this new row of Valkyries have been classified as "VF-1D Valley-Cat".

Unlike the standard one-seater 'VF-1A' and 'J', the 'D Valley-Cat' variant contains two seats with two certain differences. The strategists of the RDF have figured out that the survivability belongs to one of the pilot's most major concern that could even demoralize him or her in tough situations - A fact not to be ignored. Another interesting fact that is the key difference between usual Valkyries is that the VF-1D Valley-Cat has been fitted with another layer of a special armor alloy along it's hull and wings. In common battles, pilots have experienced much trouble when it came to direct hits from the usual Zentraedi Battlepod beam. The hit from this beam did not even require to be a critical hit to already damage a VF-1 significantly - At some cases, VF-1 fusion drives tend to discharge and explode, tearing the hole fighter apart within an instance.

Introducing the new alloy-type of armor plating, this alloy called "Mercurnite", a different version of the common armor type "Carbonite", can absorb a high percentage of intense beam and kinetic energy. Without interfering with the maneuverability of the "Valley-Cat", this prototype could definitely suffer a higher damage capacity before needing to return to base.

As for VF-1As, VF-1A pilots are aided by secondary A.I. systems that take over certain systems such as target analyzing and maneuvering systems. No matter how high a common experienced pilot is (Roy Fokker not meant), he or she can not always be focused on every single active system - especially when using the Battleroid-mode. The pilot himself is simply overwhelmed by keeping their attention on various systems.

The VF-1D Valley-Cat's pilot seat has the primary control of the Valkyrie. All maneuvering and thrusting systems have been upgraded and are lead completely by the pilot (in all modes), including the new NNH2VS-Gloves: "Neural Hand-to-Veritech Support Gloves": Gloves which supports the control of hand movement when Valkyrie is in Battleroid mode. Without them, handling hand movements will be far more difficult, but still usable. All pilots have these. Thanks to the advanced evasive systems, this Veritech allows the pilot to be alerted ahead of time as well as to be lead freely by navigational systems - very helpful during combat situations. The pilot has only limited control on targeting systems, however.

The backseat of the VF-1D Valley-Cat is for the RW co-pilot. The "Radar-Weaponary" co-pilot is a trained pilot for all combat systems of the Veritech. New targeting possibilities such as thin fiber-glass touchpads around the pilot himself allows to target outer moving objects simply by touching the surrounding glass to the desired target. RW co-pilots may not be the best maneuvering pilots for Veritechs, nor do they have control to all systems - but they belong to the best of the best when it comes to targeting the enemy.

Furthermore, the helmets of the RW co-pilots have another glass-visor over the eyes, which aids the co-pilot with eye-displayed information projected by microscopic laser-displays emitting from the glass. Every RW co-pilot must be able to maintain their concentration as well as to possess high dexterity abilities in being able to target, compute and manage the sophisticated pads. Able to be fitted with several weaponary systems easily, engineers have also claimed this flexible unit filled utilitarian slots as a 'gunship'.

Leading back to real combat situations, the pilot must be able to count on the capabilities of the co-pilot and vice versa. Getting used to it could be tough, but there have been prognoses that the survivability would increased the more the pilots get along with each other. The effectiveness of a single VF-1D Valley-Cat could support more than 10 VF-1 Standards at once without loosing it's own combat efficiency.

Following the tradition of the old F-14 Tomcat, the VF-1D Valley-Cat has the advanced capability of having more hardpoints for weaponary systems as well as the common flexible wings - A main 47'er Bolter Gunpod/Cannon-Rifle, auxillary internal ammo-casing, upper and lower special hardpoints for setting any type of launching systems and the typical missle-holders.

Unlike the usual 55mm Gunpod for VF-1s, the 47er Bolter Cannon-Rifle has a very high rate of fire as well as a high negative heat development. Luckily, this Gunpod uses the natural aspect of space to cool down its system. The ammo casing itself is actually a drum fed with a long chain of 300 rounds. Flying in Fighter-mode, the Cannon-Rifle can replace empty ammo-drums within seconds. There has been plans in giving availability to Protoculture powered weaponary systems, but officials of the RDF Research Department have decided to continue their research on discovering Protoculture totally before giving confirmation for it's tactical use - Due to the true fact that Protoculture is indeed a technology full of mysteries, power and dangers.

The only downside of this special Veritech is that if any pilot would get out of commission in combat, the survivability chance would drop at a dangerous rate, leaving the both pilots vulnerable. If any pilot should be out of commission, they should withdraw from any combat situations and return to base, if they can. Currently, engineers, protomechanics and manufacturing teams have managed to produce a large number of prototypes Valley-Cats as weeks of quietness among the SDF-1 went by, not even being attacked by the Zentraedi.

Ready for their first true combat mission, the cockpits of these Valley-Cats are waiting for pilots to finally man them. Many pilots among all squadrons are anxiously waiting to test the new gear and mechas - and yet, none have been assigned... Yet...

"VF-1A Red-Dragon" – Heavy Artillery/Siege Bomber Valkyrie of the Chinese military

While the normal VF-1 tends to be the backbone of the RDF, it was clear that these units would only be efficient in large groups. Having only limited groups of squadrons in service, the Chinese military was sure that sending these limited squads of 'simple' VF-1s would end up as "cannon-fodder". Based upon the common VF-1A, the Chinese military decided to alter and expand its abilities. It took another year until their developers finally found a true task that would support the RDF better than usual. Their goal was to develop a unit that had the potential firepower of a "Monster" class Destroid as well as a large arsenal of long-range armaments with devastating power.

Introducing the new VF-1A "Red-Dragon", the "Dragon" proved itself worthy as a symbol of pride, knowledge and power in the fleet of the Chinese Dynasty. Its codename, "Red-Dragon", was given after its significant red color, as the result for the composite armor made out of Carbonite and Marsite, an abundant redish mineral found throughout the whole SDF-1. Declared as a heavy assault as well as a heavy artillery unit, the "Red-Dragon" has a large row of heavy caliber projectile weapons and heavy bombardment missiles. Unlike the common VF-1A, the VF-A "Red-Dragon" is a very unflexible and slow unit when fully armed with its bulky heavy weapons. For instance,the first primary long-range missile, the "Lao-Fang" Proto-Nuclear missile, is in fact a powerful tactical missile whose length exceeds those of usual missiles totally (roughly 5 meters/ 14 feet long). Having the capability of setting its destructive sphere-area of between 250 and 570 meters – high yield shockwave or a short-life nuclear contamination - It became clear that these weapons could destroy a large number of enemy units with only one missile. Able to carry four of these super large missiles (Two in the upper and two in the lower hardpoint areas of the Valkyrie), the "Red-Dragon" is only capable to a very slow flight speed during Battleroid mode and can only launch these passive-guided heavy missiles in Fighter mode. Heavy bomb versions of this missile also exist.

Another powerful weapon within the arsenal of the "Red-Dragon" is the prototype weapon system "Gauss Siege Catapult". The Gauss Catapult itself, having a total of 48 or 28 rounds, depending on its caliber type, is actually a patch of quad artillery cannons that are connected to the same hardpoints where the heavy missiles are normally attached, one upon each hardpoint area. Crossing Bolter along with Gauss technology and the caliber types 330mm or 405mm (the smaller and the common type of caliber used by the "Monster" class Destroid), the "Red-Dragon" is capable to shoot down heavy units with a single barrage. Each barrel has a very long length that reaches up to the cockpit. Before these quad-cannons can be fired, it is indeed urgent for the pilot to maintain a very slow flight speed, perhaps even a full stop to avoid being shaken by the shear brutal recoil generated by these cannons.

Of course, one Gauss shell cannot compete against the Zentraedi's Zarlon-Partical Cell", but it still is the first step in gaining the upper hand. When fired, all barrels are fiercely recoiled to the back to suppress the powers unleashed and as they propel towards the back, a new round is loaded into the barrel's chamber. While many pilots find this weapon system unusual and unnecessary, they do underestimate its true advantage: To fire a very large projectile with pinpoint-accuracy combined nearly with the speed speed over several hundred kilometers. Fired in single-fire mode, the pilot could even fire a constant stream upon far away targets – However, this is not advised since each shot pushes the Valkyrie back. One tactic though is to spin the Valkyrie around its axis, making it possible to suppress. The projectile itself is made to dissipate in atmospheres to avoid any dangers if it should ever fall upon a planet and is only used for artillery barrages. If the "Red-Dragon" should ever find itself in close combat, it would use its secondary rifle – The GU-11H - A 70mm semi-automatic version of the GU-11 with 75 rounds of ammo, which only deals as a short and medium ranged weapon if they should ever be engaged.

A variety of special cluster bomb packs were also used during the last conflict against the Zentraedi. Specially designed for the Chinese Valkyrie, these cluster bomb packs, codenamed 'Dragonfangs' (CB-84), belong to the arsenal of mostly used weapons – right next to the tactical nuclear missiles. One pack carries a batch of 45 small curved mines that do seem to have the shape of claws. Commonly used against large targets, these clusters are capable of dealing massive destruction upon any large ship. Either deployed by high velocity or catapulted by burst units, the 'Dragonfangs' can cover a vast field with explosions within seconds. Though not designed for the use against small units, pilots do use its high rate of fire as alternative close combat flak for their GU-11H.

Upon all systems, the developers also refitted the "Red-Dragon" with their own systems, including their language. While this Valkyrie may be the best unit for artillery support, it is indeed vulnerable against beam weapons. All in all, the "Red-Dragon" has already been seen in battle, but does not stand a real chance in close combat. Recent upgrades have allowed this Valkyrie to be fitted with even lighter artillery Gauss cannons to expand its capabilities. Seen as versatile weapon platform, the "Red-Dragon" belongs to the best mobile Veritech units that possess superior firepower.

"VF-1D Ciel-Danceur/Sky-Dancer" All-Purpose Scout Valkyrie

Evolving from the famous PY-7 "Ardvar Reconaissé" Survey-Glider of the French D'Assault Militaire, which served many years during the rough Third World War, the story and heritage of this Valkyrie is unlike those of the others. As the War took its place in history, the D'Assault Militaire lacked in aggressive power, especially when it came to proving air power against the AUL's air and ground superiority. Long before the UN was able to enter conflict between Central Europe and the AUL, France and Germany were forced to stand against the threat. Although Germany was able to maintain its borders, it was clear that their defenses would crumble after a matter of time – and if Germany would fall, France would definitely be the next target. Working together was the key to success...

While many aircrafts, vehicles, armors and soldiers were sent to battle, nobody ever expected a small but fast recon aircraft would receive such popularity. The PY-7 belonged to the first supersonic recon jets, which were fitted with state-of-the-art equipment for wide area survey and the capability to fly either high above in the sky or way low just above the treetops at blinding speed. Long before the enemy would know of its presence, the PY-7's surveillance systems would already have accomplished several scans, photos and surveys of the area. Although it was capable of carrying a single heavy bomb, the information it gathered such as the enemy's strength and movement was a lot more valuable rather than trying to land a surgical strike. From time to time, PY-7s were sent deeply into enemy territories where the enemy would know of its presence at certain cases and would activate all of its defenses. From evading dangerous flak fire to barrages of ground-to-air missiles, the PY-7s outran every single cunning unit trying to blast them from the sky. Speed was the key to its success and no matter how heavy the defenses were the "Ardvar" always came back home safely, leaving the enemy's leaders behind in anger.

Following the footsteps of this aircraft, the RDF redeveloped a VF-1D for recon missions during the last year of the Third World War against the AUL. Primarily made of Carbonite and Corbite, a very light alloy found in the SDF-1, the new "VF-1D Sky-Dancer" is able to reach an astonishing flight speed as well as an outstanding altitude ceiling level without loosing its maneuverability greatly. As for the "D" version of the Valkyrie series, this scout requires a co-pilot to maintain all surveillance systems, such as teleoptics, cameras and the defensive weapon systems of the Valkyrie. The designation of this Valkyrie can be misleading, since its main task lies in scouting and not in fighting. For defensive capabilities, the "Sky-Dancer" is fitted with a Protoculture power plant that produces a higher output than the standard version, allowing the scout to be fitted with energy based weapons, such as a rear dual barrel beam turret on the upper side of the Valkyrie's body. Seldom does this Valkyrie carry light missile packs and a GU-7 cannon-rifle (single barrel 20mm rifle with cased ammunition, 500 rounds). Despite the fact that the "Sky-Dancer" is not a true fighter, it has often seen battles in space during the last months after the misfold incident. Its high flexibility always made it possible for both pilots to survive. The "Sky-Dancer" is a favorite among French pilots and has served nearly just as long as the common VF-1A.

As the SDF-1 continues its journey back towards Earth, Admiral Gloval has planned to take an alternative course leading to Mars with the intention to investigate the loss of contact to "Mars Base Sera" – Mankind's first major colonization base upon the red planet. Although aware of "Sera's" global position, Gloval is sure that the Zentraedi might be responsible for the loss of contact and has planned several Operations in which the "Sky-Dancer" will play a vital role.

"Jupiterite Armor Chassis" short JAC

Being the opposite of Corbite, Jupiterite is a very dense material found in great quantity inside the SDF-1 and in salvaged Zentraedi alloys. Although this alloy type is able to withstand a very high amount of kinetic, explosive and beam energy, it is definitely not the better than the superior Hyper-Carbonite. Acting as a second (and third) armor skin, almost every Valkyrie type can be fitted with this armor-suit for very high costs of their maneuverability. This armor offers additional protect to the cockpit to the similar heat shield mechanism when entering a planets atmosphere. The chassis also contains several disposable missile carriers and ammunition casings to expand its armaments greatly. Due to the high body-mass ratio, Valkyries are greatly hindered in mobility. While the RDF, the Chinese Air Force and other factions with Robotech hardware seldomly use this bulky armor system; the rather large and heavy "VFD-1A Dragnadaya" of the Soviet Strike Force commonly uses an advanced JAC as its primary armor outfit for combat.

(Note: Valkyries fitted with JAC tend to similarities with the later Version of fighters called "Alphas" of the "VFA-" and "VFB-" series – from RT: Next Generation)

"VFD-1A Dragnadaya" Heavy Assault/Gunship Valkyrie of the Soviet Strike Force

As the Soviet Strike Force received Robotechnology and later the RDF's request for the production of a heavier unit against the Zentraedi invaders, it became clear that the fleet was in desperate need of a mobile unit, which could withstand damage beyond the levels of a VF-1 and additionally carry a massive pool of anti-mecha weapon systems. As the standard JAC Valkyrie "outfit" only brought minimal success due to its negative effect upon maneuverability, the concern for survivability slowly became a major concern for the SSF as well. If the situation needed to bring in several weapon systems into battle, several units of VF-1As would be required – and the losses were generally high during first months deep in space. Discovering a useful solution, the engineers of the Soviet Strike Force developed a new version of the VF-1A Valkyrie, combining the flexibility of a Valkyrie and the armor and firepower of a Destroid. After another month of research, the new "Variable Fighter-Destroid" has finished its development stage. Ordering a complete refitting operation, the General of the Soviet faction onboard the SDF-1 recalled all VF-1As and upgraded them to the most heaviest Valkyrie unit in the fleet – The "VFD-1A Dragnadaya" for heavy assault operations.

Compared with its Valkyrie counterparts, the VFD-1A has several aspects, which define its unique appearance. Standing 15.5 meters tall, the "Dragnadaya" nearly three meters taller than the others. The VF-1A under this hulk can be seen stretched skeleton with an advanced JAC coverage, offering much space for several weapon systems and an outstanding protection for its pilot. While many RDF pilots my find the cockpit very tight; many Russian pilots are used to the narrowness and feel very comfortable – knowing that the massive hull protects them. Noticing a major difference between the right and left arm, many pilots wondered if it was really necessary for arming this Veritech with such a heavy main gun, which consists of a primary Packard 125mm long barrel smoothbore cannon with the capacity of 175 shells combined with a secondary GU-11 and a wide blast shield on its right sideside (When in fighter mode, the cannon is held on the right lower half of the Valkyrie). In order to bear such heavy weapon, the right arm of this Valkyrie is heavily fortified and requires high energy output from the Protoculture power plant. While the main cannon is only intended for battleroid mode, the fighter and guardian modes offer a large variety of weapon systems. Upon the upper and lower body half, between the two main missile-cases both sides, lies an automated twin-barreled 23mm turret integrated (upon the upper and lower side in fighter mode), which are able to lock on targets independently with deadly accuracy, especially thanks to its flak-ammunition. Last but not least, the fuselage and legs offer several slots for missile cases, expendable holders and deployable drums on each side holding several small short-range missiles. Due to its bulky fuselage, this Valkyrie requires longer to time to transform from fighter to battleroid mode. Currently, the VFD-1A "Dragnadaya" squadrons have entered full service after the last major conflict between the SDF-1 and the Zentraedi due to the fact that many pilots have recently ended their advanced training.

"ES-17 Kestrel" Advanced Surveillance Carrier for deep space operation

As Veritech squadrons continued their struggle on defending the SDF-1 during the last months, the SDF-1's crew and their pilots have noticed that combat situations never tend to always be at the vicinity of the SDF-1. It has happened often that these squadrons were forced to go beyond the secure range of 150km away from the SDF-1, making it impossible to have an acceptable chance of survival in dangerous emergency situations. Although the "Majestica" itself often flew ahead into battle, it was often forced to either fly at high speed and performing evasive maneuvers - making clean docking procedures impossible - or try to go head-on-head versus Zentraedi vessels as the Veritech squadrons fend off the hordes of Battlepods.

As the time went by, it became clear that the fleet needed a flexible unit that was able to act as a forward base, able to retrieve or deploy units, as well as to detect any incoming dangers and retreat far before the enemy would reach combat range. Once Again, the RDF Research Dept. worked in-depth with the Engineering crew of the SDF-1 and have developed a new type of vessel within a month that indeed seemed as a hybrid between a small carrier and a surveillance ship. The ship needed to have the capability of carrying Veritechs (specifically Valkyries) within its cargo, ammunition and repair capabilities as well as highly sensitive sensor systems. After days and weeks of intense research and development, the RDF Research Dept. finally introduced the "ES-17 Kestrel". While seeming very large and yet bulky, the "Kestrel" surveillance carrier is able to carry six Valkyries within it's "bays" as well as four in it's storage bay exactly within it's hangar docking bay - allowing them to be swapped and dispatched with ease. Fitted specially for deep space missions, this carrier contains everything that the crew needs, no matter if Valkyrie pilots or carrier crew. From a sickbay and briefings rooms to the hangar bay and resting sections, for sure, the "Kestrel" carrier has proven itself already as a vital ship in the fleets of the RDF. Today, this carrier is also used as a "shuttle" transport to bring crewmen, pilots, equipment, cargo and Veritechs to other vessels of the SDF-1 that have been dispatched (such as additional ARMD carriers and the "Majestica"). The carrier itself is not expensive in material costs, making it possible for it to be mass-produced. Using a special composite mix of standard Carbonite, fortified Aluminum plating, plastics and reinforced Titanium shielding, the engineers that developed this ship discovered its gravity-unit could handle its grip a lot better than the unit within the SDF-1. Also nicknamed as 'Whale' and although seen as a very bulky carrier, it can offer acceptable protection versus energetic and heat weapons such as the Zentraedi's typical beam cannons – but never the less, the "Kestrel" can only sustain a certain amount of punishment and is very vulnerable to piercing objects such as projectile weapons. Crews of the "Kestrels" do fear projectiles – especially those of nightmare-stories where Zentraedi "Zarlon Particle Cell Ammunition" would rip through the entire ship like as it were nothing. Pilots of Veritechs and specifically those of Valkyries are warned to double-check their aim, for their friendly-fire can easily cause much damage upon the ship and the health of its crew.

Another aspect aside to the reputation about its lack in armor protection, the "Kestrel" possesses a row of active and passive surveillance systems that can distinguish almost anything around it. Although the SDF-1's sensor array is the most powerful surveillance system mankind ever has, a highly trained sensor specialist using the sensory station could compete against the SDF-1's small-object detection – perhaps the reason why this nimble carrier is often successful in finding MIA/MIS (Missing in Action/Missing in Space). Many pilots do underestimate its unique capabilities as well as its speed (although it does react sluggish to course changes nonetheless).

**Dr. Vanderman's Report upon recent physical issues of female pilots in space **

(A few days after the misfold event)

""Report of Dr. Vanderman, lead scientist of the RDF Research Department.""

During training missions and physical tests of female pilots, we have come to the following result:

As soon the test pilot 1 left the bay, she seemed calm. But after 7 minutes within space, she started to feel uncomfortable. She seemed very disorientated and started to sweat. The first test was to handle her Valkyrie. In the simulator, she has not shown any signs of difficulties, but now, in free space, she suddenly confronted many complications in maneuvering easy flight techniques. After 10 minutes her pulse rate started to speed up to unbelievable rate and she seemed to panic.

We were forced to abort the test flight immediately.

This test has shown that female pilots tend to suffer under claustrophobic-like problem, which occurs when flying out in space. Our neural tests have also shown, that this problem occurs through unknown brain/neural activities. We are indeed out of clues or theories how this issue only affects women negatively - Men are not affected at all. From what we have discovered concerning their health, I, as the lead scientist, must claim the physical status of all female pilots throughout our fleet as endangered. Many women throughout the ranks of the RDF have already either declined another sortie or claimed their mental status as fragile. This is indeed a problem we must face since the RDF requires the skills of men and women to defend the SDF-1. Fortunately, a selected few can handle this problem, but still with major difficulties. Although we are forced to abort any deep space sorties for women, it is likely that their skills can still be used at the vicinity SDF-1 - but this is where our problem comes up once again. They are able to handle their systems as usual, but they are unable to maintain both controls and systems of Valkyries at once.

While this problem is a recent issue that only effects women, we have classified this "neural malfunction" as "Postneural-Aerospace-Syndrome" - or "PAS-Neuralis" in short. The research team shall continue its research on finding a solution.

---End of Report---

Dr. Johnathan Vanderman

""Report End""

**Dr. Vanderman's Report: The Void **

(Two months after the misfold event)

""Report of Dr. Vanderman, lead scientist of the RDF Research Department.""

There has been an intense solar flare event several months before the launch of the SDF-1. The sun of the solar system has catapulted a massive field of energy into space for the first time in at least thousands of years. While Earth will not be affected anyhow due to its magnetic field, our recent deep-space scans with the SDF-1's sensor array has shown us that this field of radiation will reach our position in few months. Due to its expanded area of effect, the SDF-1 will be unable to avoid it. Our estimations show that its bandwidth exceeds beyond three space sectors, which means that it is wider than 1500 kilometers. Although the radiation itself will be far below the hazardous level, we must face the fact that communication and surveillance will be greatly affected by this field of invisible energy, which we have designated as the "Void". The first step of Operation: Sara, which dealt with deep communication to satellites of Mars Base Sara, will eventually be hindered, leaving us incapable of contact until we leave the "Void". We must also be aware that the Zentraedi will use this opportunity for hidden attacks.

---End of Report---

Dr. Johnathan Vanderman

""Report End""

--------------

For your information

There might be grammar mistakes and other typos thanks to my german/english mix up. I hope they don't pop up too often. However, I would really appreciate any type of review-comment, either good or bad (or worse).

Special thanks

- Goes to Chris Caldwell, Zeppo V2.0 and Ellie for their support :) especially for Chris' support as a character, too. And to Nikolle who is beta-reading, especially for beta-reading a fic of an anime series that she never heard of.

This fic has been done with love, care and helpful friends and I received help from fellow Fanfic'ers for feedback. Thx guys : ) This fic also cost me time like hell, hehe.

- And Fanila, who gave advice in file-formats.

Ever wrote chapter for chapter late night from 12am to 9am next day? You should try it out hehe.

- Another thanks to Nikolle for Beta-Reading without having any idea about the original Robotech plot!

I apologize deeply for the long talking. Enjoy!

(Updates will follow)

So, Here goes!

###Sgt$parki out###


	2. Chapter 1 The Blackout

---- Chapter 1 ---- Blackout...

"""_Personal logbook of Sensor-Specialist Vanessa Leeds. Well, what do I have to say for today? It has been about six or seven weeks ever since the last attack of the Zentraedis. The whole crew on board the SDF-1 has been working day and night getting our systems back online and not even half of them are fully operational - ' been havin' trouble myself with the array ever since, too. Actually, the Zentraedi nearly had us that day - Several systems have been knocked out and more than the half of the hull was a burning inferno. It was a tragic situation that even forced Admiral Gloval to prepare the fleet and us to send out a transmission to surrender the SDF-1. At the very last moment before he gave confirmation, a non-understandable transmission swept along the broadband channels, which seemed to have 'called' the Zentraedis back, causing them to retreat and refold into hyperspace. Even Lisa was unable to translate the code, but whatever - or better whoever - sent it, saved our lives, more or less – I guess. Since then, the Zentraedi haven't performed any further attempts in attacking the SDF-1 again... not even a single battleship - Which keeps me a little bit anxious since I'm actually the only person who can deal with this complicated long-range scanning. It's been kinda rough lately inside in the city as well. Many groups of civilians have revolted and performed riots - and there's no clue in explaining why or how these revolts occur. I've heard that the police still have everything under control though - more likely. I can understand that the survivors of orbital bombardment are pretty mad about what has happened throughout the last months, but I guess they are just afraid - just like the rest of us. But anyways... Although the whole crew is under constant stress, I must say that things seem to be going on just as usual. I expect this day to be the same quiet day as yesterday_... _Vanessa Leeds_, e_nd of personal logbook input._""

----

Somewhere deep within the void of space...

The titanic battlefortress continues it's journey through space, surrounded by several satellites, ships and other small objects blinking signal lights. Slowly cruising at a very slow speed of 40 km/h, the SDF-1's current position is somewhere between the planets Jupiter and Saturn. Minor sections along it's hull are leaving trails of smoke and there are several areas that still show signs of heavy attacks made from a long time ago. Although the battlefortress seems to be in a very poor shape and fairly crippled, it is still intact. Several fleets of small repair frigates and patrolling Veritechs have been dispatched to repair what needs to be repaired.

Inside the bridge citadel, the crew continues their efforts as usual. Among all operatives, a single person is lying comfortable and calm on a bed-like seat, holding grip-controls and surrounded by a deep blue holo-screen showing moving images and other gauges and values. Wearing a light halfway zipped-up khaki-colored jacket with an RDF symbol on it's side with it's sleeves rolled up, it is the resting body of Dr. Karen-Lindsey Young who is currently under the "trance" of mind-symbiosis between her and the SDF-1's virtual interface. Not even showing the sign of being disturbed by the voices and noise around her, she remains rather quiet - only feeling the slow and calm vibration the bridge's powered systems. Although breathing in constant intervals, her body does seem like a lifeless coma-patient...

_Floating within the inner world of the SDF-1's consciousness, Lindsay has been under this coma-like trance for more than two days. The damage received throughout the last great battle has severely destructed many internal systems, especially those that deal with the automatic navigation algorithms of the bridge. Hundreds of malfunctions have occurred ever since which have caused the whole battlefortress' propulsion guidance to no longer respond to automated commands of the rear bridge command section. Needing the unique skills of Lindsay once again, she has decided to stay longer within the inner world, ignoring the advice of her medical advisors. _

_Voices... No... Thoughts... Thoughts went through her mind... Personal thoughts... _

Motions behind her closed eyes can be seen, slowly moving back and forth.

_Although trying to suppress her memory, pictures of her past continue to appear. She was not sure if these pictures were only side-effects of her long mind-connection session that cause temporal hallucination... Suddenly, as if something gained her attention, Lindsay felt a cold gush of wind that flew past her whole body. It was a strange feeling that caused her hallucination memories to disappear within an instant. A flash... Her surroundings suddenly changed. The dark blue fog that once has surrounded her has vanished, leaving her floating alone, deep within the pure darkness of space, being watched by the eyes of millions of stars... Feeling ready, Lindsay knew that the consciousness of the SDF-1 'wished' to gain her attention - as if it wanted to warn her about something. Indeed, it was a premonition of the SDF-1's consciousness - It must have detected something._

"""..._Huh..._""", _Lindsay's mind said loudly... Suddenly, the world around her started to move ahead, getting faster and faster by the second - as if it were zooming ahead towards a certain region. Although she has been through this 'procedure' a few times, every time it felt like very intense ride. It only took a few seconds until her ride came to a sudden end. Reaching it's goal, Lindsay understood that the SDF-1's consciousness detected something unusual and whatever the SDF-1 'felt', she felt it too... but this time, it was the pure feeling of great danger and fear that shivered down her spine... Feelings that even jagged adrenaline through her veins._

Showing signs of feeling unease, sweat pearls began to appear upon her forehead. It was clear that she needed to inform somebody within the bridge - somehow. This task has become very difficult especially since her communication interface has also been affected by the current malfunctions throughout the bridge. There was no time to disconnect from the consciousness, as the procedure also would require a lot more time than usual. Although feeling rather nervous by the urgency of the unknown threat she received, she calmed herself down.

Rear bridge command section...

As Lindsay continued to find a solution in how to reach somebody within this section, all leading officers, including Admiral Gloval and other SDF-1 operatives sat at their stations and concentrated on their own tasks. Among all, it was Vanessa Leeds who was sitting rather quiet in her seat, checking the data-images of the gigantic holo-screen in front of her. A pulsing sphere slowly expanding from the SDF-1 slowly faded away, only picking up echos of friendly ships around. Various numbers of secondary scans swept around their vicinity as well as display-lines pointing the current heading of the battlefortress and distances to other far away planets. Hearing low voices within her communication headsets, which were only conversations on other frequencies that could be heard, she was not speaking with anybody at the moment. Suddenly, on the small holo-screen of her console, the screen cleared itself and started typing letters, as well as a female computeristic voice spoke within her headsets. The voice sounded very familiar...

""_Va-nessa - It - is - me - Lindsay..._"", the voice said.

Surprised by her voice, Vanessa lifted her head. Feeling rather surprised, she knew that Lindsay was not really the talktive person and it was very strange that she wished to talk to her.

""_Va-nessa - It - is - me - Lindsay... Can - you - hear - me....?_"", the voice repeated once again.

Stuttering slightly, Vanessa decided to reply, "L - Lindsay? Is that you?". Hearing Vanessa's rather surprised reaction, Admiral Gloval and Kim Young turned their heads slightly as Lindsay's name gained their attention.

""_Va-nessa - It - is - urgent..._"", Lindsay's voice echoed, ""_We - sense - danger... We - sense - imcoming - danger._""

Vanessa pushed her glasses up as she felt slightly confused about her words. Making another sensor scan sweep across all arcs, she detected nothing that even gave a clue of danger. Switching through many modes, she did not find any hint or signal echo at all.

"Lindsay, I cannot detect anything. You sure about -?", Vanessa replied into her headset, but was immediately interrupted by Lindsay's voice. Indeed, her voice sounded full of fear.

""_Va-nessa - You - must - focus - your - scans - upon - the - frontal - portside - arc... We - sense - anomalous - readings...Focus - On - passive - radiation - detection..._""

Although confused, Vanessa did as Lindsay wished her to do and she began to give commands into her console and started rearranging the SDF-1's sensor array. During her input, Admiral Gloval appeared by the side of his sensory officer, wondering what was going on. Asking with a deep voice, her superior commander asked, "Officer Leeds, what is the problem?"

Typing as fast as she could, the holo-screen ahead cleared shortly and displayed the frontal area of the SDF-1. "Admiral Gloval", Vanessa replied and quickly cleared her voice, "It's Navigator Lindsay Young who has contacted me. She informed me about an anomaly somewhere ahead, but I cannot detect - erm, hold on sir", she said and laid her hand against the side of her headset, hearing Lindsay's voice speaking again.

""_Va-nessa - You - must - intensify - the - array - to - the - following - coordinates..._""

Doing as she said, the sensor officer typed wildly upon her console again as numbers and other symbols appeared on her small screen. It did not take long until the blue holo-screen started building a grid around the frontal area, then started focusing. Many seconds went by and she still seemed skeptical about detecting anything beyond the maximum scan range of the sensor array's impulse.

"Hmm... I'm not really detecting anythi -", Vanessa said, but then suddenly, a certain area started blinking, as well as few of displayed images throwing data all around. From what the readings said, the mass of this unknown signal expanded itself at an alarming speed. Her eyes widened, "Oh my - Admiral, she is right! Detecting an anomaly, approximately 127 kilometers away... Sir, from what I can say, I fear this anomaly will be a destination point for a hyperspace jump! The radiation values are increasing at an intense rate... I cannot confirm my readings truly, but I am also detecting a very small object which seems to have the size of a probe... I guess the array's sensitivity must have suffered damage as well. ' Must say that it is a good thing Lindsay picked up these signals for they are practically invisible for standard scanners and the human eye. Another few hours of cruise flight would have brought us dangerously close. I fear another sensor array class seven diagnose will be required once again..."

A hyperspace jump anomaly and a very small object waiting in front of it?... Admiral Gloval knew that this only meant one thing... Trouble. Staying calm though, the old man ordered, "Officer Leeds, please inform Lindsay to disengage from cruising and maintain this position - And give her my deepest appreciations for her duty - but I'm afraid we will be needing her much longer now..."

"Yes sir..."

He went back onto his seat and thought about the current situation. As the Admiral crossed his arms, he did seemed a little bit worried. Meanwhile, Lindsay received the order to stop the SDF-1 at once and await further instructions. It belonged to one of her easiest tasks to stop the whole ship from moving just by a simple thought. A slight rumble shook through the whole ship as it's operational secondary retro-thrusters ignited. As minutes went by, a strange line shortly appeared upon the holo-screen of Vanessa, striking ahead towards the anomaly and the small object far ahead. Looking upon her screen with a confused face, Vanessa could not explain what just happened, "That's strange..." The Admiral turned his head over towards her once again and asked, "What is it, Officer Leeds?"

"I am not sure, Admiral, but some sort of signal has been emitted from...", she reported.

"A signal? Emitted from where?"

"...from our array sir - It seems to be a... transmission...", she replied as the signal's content appeared upon her screen. Filled with hundreds of thousands of symbols that were hardly understandable. "It seems to be a transmission... coded in Zentraedi language!"

"Zentraedi?!", Admiral Gloval repeated and lifted his head, "How - How did we send a Zentraedi transmission, how is this possible? What was it's content?" He seemed very anxious as he lifted himself once again.

"I'm unable to understand and comply the transmission, sir", his sensory officer replied back him, "It is filled with such a dialect that I lack the knowledge to comprehend it's meaning, perhaps Commander Hayes could..."

Just mysteriously as the transmission has been sent, another problem has just happened. It was a sudden alarming sound that came from her screen. Upon the array's large holo-screen, the image of the Zentraedi code minimized itself and zoomed away shortly. Soon, they could see that the anomaly ahead has expanded in such a mass that it's radiation was now detected as a pure threat. Understanding it's readings, Vanessa came to a conclusion.

"Sir, we have company - Hyperjump anomaly confirmed. The levels of radiation are showing that an object is about to defold... 127.78 kilometers away from our actual position."

Looking ahead through the transperant "shell" of the bridge citadel, every bridge operative spotted a flashing star that shortly emitted far ahead of the SDF-1... It was the same flash that usually occurs when a ship has defolded.

_As expected, Lindsay's premonition proven itself true - and yet, she still seemed unease... It was not the fact that something was about to defold... It was the fact that something really threatening was lurking somewhere within the hyperspace._

"Officer Leeds, I'm afraid we are forced to leave this untranslatable code aside...", the Admiral added with a deep voice. A red box covered the object that has defolded and immediately compared it's scan with a database of ships. Within seconds, the results were revealed.

"Vessel identified. Threat confirmed - Zentraedi battleship, classified by the Protoculture-Database as "Queadol Magdomilla", presumed as a command ship. It's defold has been completed and it has engaged it's propulsion drives as well as a course heading towards the SDF-1."

Turning herself around, Fleet Commander Lisa Hayes spoke, "Admiral, should we perform a full scale alert? Although preparations might be delayed due to the SDF-1's current status, we should still be able to dispatch a row of squadrons within an hour..."

Although her advice was helpful, it did not sound very satisfying hearing how long it would take to start dispatching defensive fleets - but none the less, time was starting to run against them.

"Not yet, Commander - Not yet", he replied and thought about the next step, Vanessa's voice once again gained the attention of the officers around her.

"Sir! Something is not right - Usually after a defold, the jump anomaly should collapse... Instead, it's mass has increased at an incredible rate! I - I cannot explain how this is possible!", she shouted.

_Another strong and intense gush of wind blew past Lindsay, feeling an intense sphere striking upon herself. Something else was about to defold behind the Zentraedi battleship - Feeling the presence of an object of remarkable size, she felt more unease than ever that her body even trembled shortly in reality. Already seeing what was about to appear... It was too late to inform Vanessa about her premonition, since it was about to occur within the next few seconds._

Another star flashed far ahead of the SDF-1, but this time the flash was a lot stronger and intense than the first one. It was so intense that a delayed slight shockwave shook through the battlefortress. Spotting a strange object right after the flash, there was no deny that the whatever appeared was probably just as large as the SDF-1 itself, as many could easily distinguish it's size although far away. Observing the gigantic size of the object, Vanessa seemed paralyzed in astonishment. She was totally overwhelmed by it's size that she hesitated to report what she was seeing. Even Claudia Grant heard several communication frequencies being disrupted by it's defold.

Observing Vanessa's screen, Admiral Gloval's voice suddenly struck throughout the bridge... "Thundering asteroids!", he shouted. Now there was no time to loose - He felt that every second was vital. "Commander Hayes, Commander Grant - Order all patrols to clear out to the rear area of the SDF-1 and call all non-combatant units back to dock! There is no chance in telling if that - that... THING out there is hostile or not, but we can be sure that the Zentraedis are willing to attack us once again. We must not allow the incoming threats to come too close - Contact Gunnery Operations and grant the operation of the Reflex-Cannon!"

Just as the word "Reflex-Cannon" left his lips, a hideous thought went through the minds of two certain bridge officers... A thought that had seemed victorious... as if the first step of a great plan has been fulfilled...

Calling Gunnery Operations at the frontal bridge section, both Lisa Hayes and Claudia Grant gave authorization for the tactical use of the SDF-1's most devastating weapon - The Reflex-Cannon. The bow of the SDF-1 actually consists of two gigantic rails that divide themselves apart from each other. At the end of this division procedure, both rails are charged by pure energy produced directly from the Protoculture power plant of the battleship. As the energy flows along both rails, particles of intense power begin to gather themselves between them. After a minute of overcharging, the Reflex-Cannon is ready to discharge itself, ready to unleash a heavy beam of pure death upon anything that stands within it's way...

"Reflex-Cannon is undergoing 'Procedure One', Admiral", Claudia reported. After a minute, both rails have split themselves from each other and have settled themselves parallel to each other.

"RC undergoing 'Procedure Two'." As Claudia reported the status of the Reflex-Cannon, Engineering Operative Kim Young laid her hand shortly upon her right ear and rubbed behind it, as if something disturbed her... Although nobody noticed her short distraction, she whispered something, then continued with her duty. Spotting gauges slowly increasing, she could see the energy flow gathering itself within the furnaces of the Reflex-Cannon's rails. Meanwhile, Admiral Gloval sat back down upon his seat, awaiting to give the order to fire. Once again, the whole SDF-1 began to rumble slightly as the pure potential of energetic particles began to gather themselves between both rails. Slowly but surely, the particles gathered up into a thick and heavily charged particle bolt held between the rails... ready to be unleashed.

"Sir - May I advise something?", Lisa suddenly asked. The Admiral nodded in agreement. "Thank you - It is obvious that the gigantic object behind the Zentraedi battleship is hostile. I suggest to overcharge the SDF-1's Reflex-Cannon beyond 125 to increase the efficiency of the beam... I am sure the beam would disintegrate both hostilities..."

Operative Sammie Porter turned herself shortly around... as if she wanted to protest against Lisa's suggestion... but somehow, no words left her lips. As she was about to speak, she swallowed her voice before the words left her lips. It was the face of Lisa Hayes that threw her an evil look - A look she has never felt before.

"Very well - I can understand your worry. Officer Young, Officer Porter, increase intensity beyond the usual rate of 110." Kim Young did not hesitate at all to fulfill her orders. Sammie, on the other hand, did seem very worried about the orders of overcharging - and yet, she did as ordered. As minutes passed by, the size of the energy bolt exceeded itself beyond the rails and glowed so strong that it was impossible to look directly. "Desired efficiency levels reached, sir", Kim reported back.

"Aligning rails and directing power discharge upon both targets, hit percentage ratio is presumed at 100 upon both targets. Both targets are right behind each other", Lisa added, "We have full confirmation from Gunnery Operations that they are ready to fire and are awaiting your order, Admiral."

This was it - There was no real chance for the Zentraedi battleship and the gigantic unidentified object with the size nearly the same as the SDF-1 to survive such an intense particle beam. In theory, it has been proven that the particle beam is able to pierce through the densest types of any possible shield or object...

""_Gunnery Operations standing by_"", an officer's voice repeated upon the speakers of the rear bridge sections.

Once again, thoughts went through the mind of two certain bridge operatives who seemed as if a hideous plan was about to finish it's second step.

With a deep and strong voice, Admiral Gloval gave the command... "FIRE!"

Mankind's first weapon of pure planetary destruction was about to unleash itself once again. As usual for everybody, the beam would emit itself ahead by the speed of light from the rails, leaving the SDF-1 untouched. Gloval and the rest of the bridge had much confident in the effectiveness of this weapon - but this time, things went wrong as the bridge suddenly shook.

Just as it was about be unleashed, Sammie Porter's main screen suddenly gave warning signals, showing gauges that were blinking red, exceeding beyond secure limits. Shocked by these readings, she immediately cried, "Admiral! We have a problem! Furnaces are still gathering energy beyond the desired rate of potential and I am unable to release the energy bolt! None of my commands are reacting for compensation! If the energy bolt continues to gather energy, the beam will - will backfire!"

Surprised by her words, Admiral Gloval immediately shouted, "What, how can this be? Fire immediately!", he repeated loudly. The shaking began to become more intense... "It's not working, sir!", Sammie replied. "Admiral?", Kim asked with a calm but serious voice, "By your command, I would perform a full shutdown of the SDF-1 which would cause the rails to discharge the energy bolt in all directions."

Although slightly confused by Kim's sudden suggestion, Sammie added her advice, "Sir, I must remind you that although a sudden shutdown would save us from a serious backfire, it might cause severe damage to the rails of the Reflex-Cannon. Furthermore, it could take a long while before our systems can be reactivated! We might risk loosing vital time regain all systems..."

There was really not enough time to decide which option would be the best, but Gloval knew that a backfiring Reflex-Cannon would surely damage the battlefortress severely while a shutdown might save more of the ship by the cost of time... After taking a deep breath, he ordered, "Full shutdown procedure - immediately!"

Kim turned herself around and immediately contacted the Engineering Deck of the SDF-1 over her headsets. Sending over her demand, she immediately received confirmation and said, "Undergoing full shutdown - in ten seconds!", and started counting down. During the countdown, Lisa Hayes announced the whole ship about it's shutdown just on time. Right before the beam backfired, all lights, internal systems and other areas onboard the SDF-1 went offline. Practically all areas was covered by pure darkness. Unfortunately, as the shutdown occurred, the bolt discharged itself violently upon the rails as well as over many areas of throughout the ship, just before it expanded around the frontal area and dissipated. Feeling the slight 'explosion' ahead, the whole inner city went into a small chaos, lost in total darkness...

Due to the unexpected power surge that struck throughout the whole ship, nearly every system that had anything in common with the Protoculture-PowerGrid such as consoles, lights and other vital systems were affected. Just like for many areas, the bridge also suffered total loss of power upon their primary systems - _A pure blackout_. Many female officers screamed as they were surprised by the sudden darkness as well as circuit sparks and other powered systems flashing. "Everybody!", many voices shouted around, "Please try to calm down!"

Among all operatives, it was Vanessa Leeds who remained quiet but felt fear within herself. Surrounded by pure darkness, she held a holo-picture of a certain Valkyrie pilot that fell on her lap. As she was full of fear, her mind caused her to remember the last time being with this person a long time ago...

_It was only three years ago during a rather cold day. Walking along with a young man next to her side on a sidewalk, Vanessa felt confident and safe walking hand in hand during the unsafe time of terrorist attacks upon the crash site of the alien ship. Having different military careers, it was the day where she decided to split from her fiancee. While her career needed her to stay upon the island, he belonged to the newly formed RDF as a pilot on a tour-of-duty operation, responding to conflicts and attacks of the Anti Unification League around the globe. Although she could not remember the last conversation they had, she remembered the last moments as a sudden explosion struck not far away from them. Everybody around them screamed as they ran in panic. Several cars rolled away or exploded immediately due to the sudden shockwave. Protecting her just on time, the young pilot threw himself over her as pieces from one of the building flew their way. Suddenly hearing sounds of a turbine jet, a fighter plane dashed above and lifted into the sky, joining a small group of other jets that seemed just as hostile as it's own self. Looking back at the people, he spotted many wounded people shouting in pain... Feeling the need to perform his duty, he gave Vanessa a last kiss and ran off, not even looking back at her. From that second on, the love and contact between them vanished ever since... _

"- _Oh C_...", she whispered, then suddenly woke from her daydream. Surrounded by the darkness under her console, she felt very lonesome, a feeling she had not really confronted ever since the passed years. As she looked upon the image of the holo-photo again her lonesome feeling began to intensify itself as she stared into the eyes of the long forgotten pilot. Slowly snapping out of her short daydream, she laid the magnetic side of the holo-photo back under her console. The whole bridge deck was practically dark, only a few emergency lights on the floor and illuminating panels of consoles allowed slight orientation. The young officer looked around, noticing many of the bridge operatives trying to stay calm in such chaos...

Gaining the attention of everybody around him, Admiral Gloval spoke, "Officer Porter, was the shutdown a success? Is there a way to get our systems back online?"

Checking for results, she replied, "- One moment, sir."

"Alright, the rest of you, give me a status of your stations...", he asked further.

"Whew... That did not feel like a clean shutdown", Claudia remarked as she rubbed the side of her neck. As she pressed a few of the illuminated keys upon her console, there was neither any real response to her commands nor were there any communication uplinks active, "Admiral, Communication Operations and secondary commlines are offline"

"Fleet Operations - offline, Sub-Command - offline, all possibilities for Fleet-Command is unavailable, Admiral", Lisa reported.

"Sensor Array and all other sensor subsystems are offline...", Vanessa added sadly.

"""This is not getting any better...""", Gloval thought...

"Admiral", Sammie called out, "Diagnose complete - Sir, the shutdown was indeed not perfect, but actually saved us from a destructive energy feedback back to the SDF-1's core. Unfortunately, the SDF-1 has still suffered a certain amount of the feedback, which seemed to have knocked out practically all of our active systems. Engineering can confirm that the Reflex-Cannon has caused much damage upon it's own rails, leaving it unavailable for any further use. The Protoculture Power Core has been shut down successfully, but they have severe complications in reactivating it - That is all, the low power available at the moment is practically insufficient... Admiral, from my point of view, we are in very deep trouble..."

"Officer Porter, activate all auxiliary power generators - We cannot afford to let this drop our defenses". His order sounded harsh and yet, they understood his seriousity.

"Yes sir..."

Things were getting out of control. All hopes using the Reflex-Cannon failed deeply.

"Officer Leeds, how long do you think it would take until both vessels have reached our 20 kilometer barrier?"

"I guess - it would take nearly three hours sir. The Zentraedi command ship does not tend to be very fast..."

"""Three hours...""", he thought.

Suddenly, a few systems throughout the bridge command deck suddenly went online again. Although very dark blue light emitted from the secondary ceiling lights, they did not provide enough illumination at all, leaving the bridge still rather pitch dark. Reporting once again, Sammie added, "It seems as if our auxiliary power generators have allowed some of our systems to be operational again. I will see if I can allow them to produce more - I'm sure we can receive a energy pool to re-establish vital systems of the our deck. Diverting power to Fleet Operations, Communication Operations, Sensory Operations, Engineering and subsystems. Not all stations will act at full efficiency but this is all we can get for the moment."

"Very well", Admiral Gloval said, nodded and then lifted himself from his seat. As he stood up, he said out loud, "I would like all to listen up, and listen up carefully". It was his deep and loud voice that went through the whole command deck that gained the attention of every single operative. Taking a deep voice, he began to explain a new type of plan:

"As you may have noticed, our plan in using to the Reflex-Cannon has failed greatly and the SDF-1 is probably in great danger... It is crucial that we focus our efforts in building up a defense perimeter before the Zentraedi and the unknown object enters the 20-kilometer barrier. We have a deadline of three hours to get as much of our units out as possible. As for the SDF-1, the status is code-red! Full battlestation alert!"

Just as he finished his speech, the certain dark blue lights went from blue to red and alerting sounds began to emit from the speakers throughout the whole bridge citadel.

"Officer Young, is it possible to reactivate our main defensive systems such as Zarlon-Particle turrets and other anti vessel cannons? On which systems can we count on?"

Immediately typing wildly over her console, one of her main screens began to show a SDF-1 mainframe image, showing the whole hull and the patch-fields of turrets all along it's body. Hundreds of thousands of fields blinked black and red... only a selected few seemed green.

Taking the information from the screen, she replied: "Sir, patch-field defenses have not been repaired. Power conducts along rail gun defenses #20 - #102 are practically burned-out. Triple particle auto-turrets throughout the starboard side are offline...". As she spoke, she tried to reactivate them, with no success. "No response to my commands. It looks like their command-processor-units and their..."- she added, but then her speech was suddenly interrupted by Gloval slightly harsh voice, "Officer Kim, I did not ask for a full report. Right now, I would like to have a shorter version of your report!"

Slightly overwhelmed and shocked by his aggressive demand, she nervously replied, "Y-Yes sir - My suggestion is that we should rely on Destroids units to - to compensate downed cannons. We cannot rely on our turret fields at all..."

"That's how I like it - make it soon"

"Y-Yes... Admiral"... There was a slight feeling of anger and hate that went through Kim Young as she slowly turned back towards her console.

"Admiral Gloval, we have another problem", Claudia just added, "Our Navigator, Lindsay Young, is still under the state of the coma-statis of the NavCon and is not responding anyhow. I've called the sickbay to send us medics immediately..."

"Hmm, this is not good, we did not think about this - Now the whole SDF-1 is a sitting duck...", Gloval added, "We will worry about her later - Officer Hayes, deploy seven Destroid Battalions for deck combat as well as five Valkyrie squadrons for deck alert."

As Commander Hayes spoke via her headsets and contacted the Valkyrie Squadrons, Bridge Commander Claudia Grant contacted the Destroid battalions, taking over some orders for her. Lisa noticed her helpful deed and smiled towards her, making a pause in her alert speech. "Backing me up, just like in the old days, huh?". Claudia Grant smiled back, then continued with her alert speech to the Destroid Battalions, "Destroid Battalions 'Rangemasters' and 'Pershing Tigers'. Report to duty and arm for deck combat defense! Commander, please contact another five Battalions for deck."

Admiral Gloval went back to his seat. Something was not right, he thought. Something was missing... Then he remembered about something he forgot to ask to Vanessa Leeds. He looked over to her and asked, "Officer Leeds - Did you detect any Zentraedi Battlepods until now approaching the SDF-1?".

Staring at her screen, she answered back slightly surprised, "Strange - negative, sir. No incoming Z-Pods at all ..."

That sounded strange in his ears "What?! No Battlepods?! That can't be..."

"Uh sir?", Vanessa added, "I'm not sure, but I think the Protoculture Database has indeed identified the unknown gigantic object after all." Her voice sounded very unsure as the holo-image zoomed away shortly and then displayed a wireframe-image of the gigantic object. Nearly every bridge officer turned around and stared at her screen showing something they have never seen before.

"Oh my... Admiral - The ob-object is not a vessel... Our last scans confirm that it is somehow... biological - no mechanical...", she paused as she tried to figure out an explanation, "It's hull consists of organic material but is virtually coated by several hundred of thousands platings of unknown alloy and components. It's size and length actually exceeds over the length and size of the SDF-1 itself! From what the Database has brought for information, the object has been classified with a Zentraedi-name for which I am unable to translate at the moment..."

A few men and women with medical uniforms entered the bridge area, heading to Lindsay's station.

Looking at the size and frame of the object, there was no need to despite the fact if it was hostile or friendly - The hull seemed so dangerous that even Admiral Gloval sensed this situation was going to be a lot more complicated than the last few months. A Zentraedi vessel, hostile and tough as usual, followed by an organic mothership-like object, which is by far beyond the size of the SDF-1. It was the dreaded feeling that made Gloval to think about the odds of this situation - and he came to a conclusion. It was clear that first plan of using the Reflex-Cannon to eliminate all threats at once resolved in pure disaster and now the SDF-1 became more vunerable than ever - For sure, this was not good indeed. Having nearly all primary systems down, the SDF-1 would not be able to protect itself by it's own. Disturbed by this serious fact, Gloval lifted his head and said, "Officer Grant, Officer Porter - Contact the 'Majestica' and two AMRDs to dispatch from the SDF-1's hangar. We will be needing all the potential we can get."

"Yes sir", Claudia replied, "- but I must remind you that the last Zentraedi attack has done much damage. The dispatch could be delayed greatly, perhaps beyond the designated deadline..."

"I understand, but better ever than never... You have your orders."

Both confirmed.

"""This is gonna be a long night...""", Claudia thought as she began calling the primary hangar deck. Although operating with dimmed lights within the dark bridge, the whole area was back at it's full potential as they began to work against the time. Taking this moment of 'silence', Gloval sat on his seat and pulled out his pipe as his thoughts began to wander, """Hmm, I don't know what the Zentraedi are up to, but it looks like we are going to have to put up with a fight again. This situation reminds me of the battle during the Great War back on Earth. We fought a battle even though we didn't know who the enemy was ... We just didn't know..."""

Gloval quickly contacted one of the operatives at the flight deck to brief all defenders about the situation. He did not want the same mistake to happen once again. He took out his pipe and tabasco again as he reminded himself about the report of Dr.Vanderman and the female pilots, including the new generation of fresh recruits. """Strange how space can have such an affect on all of us... The female pilots are indeed fast learners... Very well qualified for combat. Many of them were forced to give up their flying carrier after the fold into space. Their flying skills went totally under average right after we refolded somewhere in the outer rim - at least they still know the hardware. On the other hand, male pilots have the flying skills already in their blood...""", he looked at his pipe.""" They are good pilots indeed, for being rookies - They are more than green though - and they all have only been training with flight instructors behind them...""", he looked at the Tabasco. As he looked at both, pipe and Tabasco, then pulled out his box of matches, his imagination started to wander something that dealt with a solution. Remembering the looks of a VF-1D Valkyrie Trainer and the new row of prototypes, his imagination went through him, his pipe as a VF-1D 'Valley-Cat' and the other two ingredients such as Tabasco and the fire as pilots.

"""Perhaps it is time to test these prototypes in the real battlefield..."""

Lifting himself from his seat again, Admiral Gloval walked ahead, passing both Lisa Hayes and Claudia Grant who shortly looked at each other, wondering what he was up to. As the Admiral walked down the stairs to the side heading to the frontal section of the bridge, it was very strange for them to see him heading to front. Not only they were surprised, but also other operatives shortly interrupted their doing as they saw their superior commander walking past them. It was Admiral Gloval's charismatic and yet mysterious appearance that gave the impression of a majestic king walking. Many honored him, although nervously. Just like in the rear section, the frontal section was indeed very dark, only a few red lights illuminating and hundreds of screens, holo-images, keypads and consoles glowed weakly. He wove his hand a few times downwards in order to calm down and carry on. Finding the supervising officer of the frontal command section whose name was Commodore John Travis, Gloval stopped a few meters behind him. Although he was having a conversation with a few operatives, Commodore Travis noticed the many faces of the operatives looking beyond his shoulder as he talked.

"- So we better contact those", Travis said and then turned around, "Oh, Admiral Gloval, sir?" Surprised by his appearance, Travis shortly told the other operatives around that they would talk further later. "Hello, Admiral?", he asked with a calm and yet surprised voice and saluted.

"At ease, Travis", Gloval replied.

"How may I help you, sir?"

Shortly thinking about his question, Gloval turned his head and overviewed the area around him.

Noticing a few medics around the Navigation Control station, Gloval asked, "How is Lindsay doing? Did the medics manage to diagnose anything?"

"Oh yes, sir, they did. The medics reported that she is in a very complicated situation", Travis explained, crossed his arms and shook his head a few times, "Although she is still alive, the sudden shutdown really endangered her mental health and they are very worried if she'll ever wake up again. In other words, she is really in a state of coma now?"

"Why not remove her from the station to the medical bay? Maybe we could find a substitute pilot who could maintain the station", Gloval suggested.

"I'm afraid that's impossible, sir. The medics of the Research Department advised not to remove her from the station at all. They discovered that there is still an active connection mind connection between her body and - erm, the station. It's pretty complicated actually...", Travis scratched back side of his head as he spoke with a confused voice, "... The only example I understood was that taking Lindsay 'aggressively' away from the station without doing the secure procedure by her will would be like ripping her soul from her body. They also denied the use of any nerve injections to wake her up - It is far too risky that they would endanger her health."

Gloval nodded and sighed as he looked over to her once again. She seemed as if she was sleeping. Thinking about the recent situation, Gloval thought about what happened, then said to Travis, "Hmm, it was my mistake, Commodore..."

"Sir?", he asked, confused by his words.

"An immediate shutdown was suggested and I ordered it - without thinking about Navigator Young", Gloval explained in a worried way, "She has been more than a day connected to that interface and we know that staying longer than usual would do harm to her health."

"Although the shutdown was pretty rough for her psyche, the medics think she'll survive. They only hope she will be able to wake up on her own. But let's not forget that Dr. Young is a very ambitious young woman who would do anything to support the SDF-1. She knows that she is actually the one and only person who can 'suffer' under such conditions. I'm sure she would not take it too personal, Admiral." Strange and yet amusing for the operatives around them, a few admired Commodore Travis' manor how he tried to cheer up the usually all-so-worried Admiral. "Hey what's so funny", Travis asked as he heard a few giggle next to them. A few operatives coughed and turned their heads towards their consoles.

"Anyways...", Admiral Gloval said, who reminded himself about his idea, "What can you tell me about our fleet status? I've ordered my first officer to take care of several orders, so she is pretty busy."

"Well, it looks pretty bad, Admiral", and shook his head twice, "I just spoke with a few operatives and they informed me that the subcommunication channels for the interaction between the bridge and the Veritech squadrons are disrupted due to some strange matter. Although Fleet Commander Hayes will be able to contact them down there, it is the missing interaction between us, the flight control deck and the hangars and barracks that will delay our operation severely. It's the deadline that will definitely be like a rope tied tight our necks. We only have a clean link to the 'Prelodae District' a selected few of the bordering districts."

"How many recruit squadrons in those areas?", Gloval asked directly.

"Yes, one moment, sir", Travis said and looked over to his side, "Seaman Jacobs? You heard it."

"I'm on it, Commodore", the operative replied and started gathering the data, "We have a total of... 11 recruit squadrons, 3 of them have completed basic training, 4 of them are only done with navigation and the last 4 only possess weaponary skills - Hmm, only weaponary... sounds like they skipped something."

"Um, Admiral, may I ask why are you asking about recruit pilots?", Travis asked quickly , "Shouldn't we focus on experienced squadrons?"

"Not yet, Travis, not yet. Thank you, Seaman. Travis, how many VF-1D 'Valley-Cats' prototypes do we possess in that area?"

"As far as I know, we should have about 30 across that area . but what is your intention, Admiral", Travis asked once again, "Do you think it is time for their first test flight - but we lack the necessary pilots who are experienced enough -"

"Not quite, Commodore. Now correct me if I am wrong, Commodore Travis and Seaman Jacobs", Gloval asked, "We have exactly four squadrons who have completed the basic navigation training and the physics in space. These four belong to the 'Armadillo Division' am I right?"

Both nodded.

"Now about the other four squadrons which only have fulfilled weaponary training", Gloval explained further, "They have all the knowledge about Veritech weaponary systems. To which division do these four squadrons belong to?"

"One moment, Admiral", Seaman Jacobs said and read his screen, "All four squadrons which have completed weaponary skill training belong to...", he paused and then spoke with a slightly confused and surprised voice, "... to the 'Venus Division'. It is the division that consists only of..."

"Exactly", Admiral Gloval answered with a deep voice, "Our skilled female pilots who have lost all their abilities in piloting a Veritech fighter in space - due to the downside of the 'Syndrome'."

"But Admiral", Travis asked, still sounding confused, "As far as I know, I know that the 'Venus Division' is a really big division that consists practically only of female pilots and soldiers for Veritechs and I know they haven't been in service for few last months. Many either resigned or continued their... well I would say, useless status as reservists", Commodore Travis' expression frowned slightly, "It's pretty sad. I've seen their faces ever since their health status became an issue. They are so eager to serve the RDF with their own lives..."

"Yes", Gloval explained further, "and it has been for them more than a punishment to see other pilots fall in combat. They possess a high determination to support their friends, but they never would have the chance to survive if they were to fly a Veritech fighter alone... They would do anything to perform themselves useful and I think I know a possibility how to give them their desired and deserved 'second chance'."

"But why of course, Admiral", Travis said, smiled and nodded, as he finally understood Gloval's intention, "Now I understand your plan."

Admiral Gloval smiled back very shortly and turned away, "You have your orders, Commodore..."

"Yes sir!", Travis replied and saluted as Gloval walked away, "Seaman Jacobs, Evans, Wim - Contact the flight squadron commanders of the divisions 'Venus' and 'Armadillo'! We've got a job to do and it needs to be done before that deadline!"

----


	3. Chapter 2 The Lance Vanguards

---- Chapter 2 ---- The Lance Vanguards

A television broadcast is being held by one of Macross City's publicity networks... Holding a microphone with the symbol of MCNN, a reporter is reporting live somewhere at one of the many hotspots within the city while surrounded by several inhabitants and bypassers trying to have a look on what was going with several policemen trying to keep them away. Standing in front of a cameraman, the man continued his speech:

"" ... _Reporting live from the 'Yale Hastings' District - Yes Mary, many accidents have occurred right after the lights vanished throughout all districts around one o'clock A.M. MITZ. While the police here are trying to keep everything under control, emergency crews of the RDF responded to those areas that require immediate assistance. We've tried to gain more information on the status of this area here as well as the sudden blackout, but both the law enforcements as well as those of the RDF have denied giving any comments – as usual. I will report more as soon as the police will let us through. Before I end this broadcast, I must warn everybody about a strange automatic soda-vending machine moving aimlessly through the area. If you see this vending machine moving suspiciously away from you, please report this to the police or to any personnel of the RDF. This is Alvin Pascalli, MCN Networks. Back to you, Mary_...""

As minutes went by, the publicity network continued their reports about the current incidents.

----

Macross City deck...

Although filled with thousands of worried civilians, the situation within the inner city slowly began to calm down and things started to go their usual way. Throughout all districts, all lights and other electronic systems powered by the SDF-1's power grid have been reestablished. Just like in a real city, the city deck was very loud and active – From crowded sidewalks to local traffic jams. As life went on, a certain familiar voice hollowed along alarm siren throughout the gigantic halls of each district.

Behind the many buildings within a certain district, a Veritech military barracks could be seen. The area was filled with guards and other military-looking soldiers moving along and minding their own buisness. Surrounded by an open field filled with military jeeps and other vehicles, the barracks itself actually was a gigantic building which had a very large access lift connection to the high ceiling of the Macross City deck, leading to the Veritech hangar deck high above. "Ft. Rico - Recruit Training Grounds" stood on one of the signs next to the guard posts at the entry section into this base along with an flag pole high above showing the typical RDF symbol. Unlike other bases and barracks, these recruit bases usually did not need to respond to any alerts since these pilot usually lack the basic experiences in real combat... but this time, things were about to go a lot different than usual.

Closing in on a certain habitat quarter of the base, a young pilot can be seen through the window having a nice and cozy sleep.

It was Private/Airman Lars "Mick" Mickerson, who belonged to one of many recruits of "Cascade Knights - 40th Valkyrie Squadron". 22 years old, being tall, slim and having blue eyes and short blond hair, Mick was just an ordinary rookie pilot who looked just like the rest of his squadmates. He also belonged to those recruits who were first citizens of Macross Island who then joined the RDF onboard the SDF-1 - A pure and fresh rookie from the books, always with a smart comment - but never the less, he was just a pilot who recently mastered his skills in understanding and controlling the VF-1 Valkyrie, the backbone variable fighter of the RDF. It took many weeks until he and his comrades of the squadron managed to finish the first part of their intense training. Suddenly woken by the loud noise of alert sirens from the rooms speakers along with a loud female voice saying, ""_Attention! Attention! All Military Personnel... This is not a DRILL_..."", he immediately turned his head around and covered his ears with his pillow.

Right after the call, the voice of his commanding flight instructor whose name was Major J. Bronco, who is also known as "Sarge", spoke as the alert sounds continued, ""Recruits of Squadrons: Starwolves, Lance Vanguards, Wing Jaeger, Cascade Knights and Mercenary-Wildguns are to report Valkyrie Launch Deck 12 - Alpha at 0500! All recruits must be in full HECS. This is not... ""

Trying to ignore the loud and tough voice, Mick grumbled, "... not a drill, bla bla", then noticed something about the recent announcement, " - Wait a minute, did he say 'Cascade Knights' ?" Feeling very groggy and tired, Mick rolled out of his bed. The floor was pretty cold which made him really lousy as he tried to wake himself up. Slowly moving over to a table within his room, he picked up a watch and read the time. "Aw heck", he said as he read the time, "Only got about 20 minutes to get done!", and rubbed his face a few times, trying to get rid of the tiredness in his face. Deciding to wake up more faster, he immediately went over to the bathroom and took a very quick cold shower, dried up and put on some clothes. Wiping his face a few times again, Mick went over to one of the lockers in his room, opened it and pulled out a common flight suit for space operations, also known as "Hazard Enviroment Combat Suit", which not only offers hours of rebreathable air, but also protects from nuclear, biological and other hazardous enviroments. Another vital aspect of this suit was that it possessed a special unit which could seal any hazardous decompression holes within the suit with a special quick-hardening foam within milliseconds - Although dangerous, it is indeed better to suffer pain from a super-hardened foam rather than to receive fatal wounds through suit-decompression. As he fought putting on his HEC suit, he thought about the words of his commanding flight instructor once again, """ Wait a minute, I'm a recruit - I just managed to finish my Navigation and Veritech-Handling Training, and now they want me on a launch deck?! Hmpf, must be that wake-up call training thing Rooks talked about once - Oh well nevermind. Can't worry about that now. Gotta get to that deck or Sarge will toast me again."""

Mick got his gear on and activated the suit for a check-up to see if everything was tight. """Don't wanna end up sucked""", he thought, """ok, helmet, suit check-up... oh yeah, NH2VS-Gloves""", he remembered and grabbed these special gloves called NH2VS-Gloves - Neural Hand to Veritech Support Gloves - which supported the control of hand movements when a Valkyrie or any other Veritech in Battleroid mode. Without it, handling hand movements would be far more difficult, but still usable, nonetheless. The suit itself was colored mainly dark blue with black strips as the secondary color and fitted perfectly like a second skin. His suit also had thick shoulder protections that gave his appearance a sign of authority... A nervous feeling went down his spine as he constantly thought about the reason why his group was called to report to an unscheduled duty. After leaving his room and locking up the door, Mick walked down the long corridor and met up with many other rookie pilots who were on the same way to the main service elevators to the Veritech hangar deck.

Entering the gigantic service lift, Mick spotted many pilots of his and other fellow squadrons as well a few jeeps parked within the lift. The lift was so large that it even had space for two standing Destroids and could definitely carry anything that would weigh several tons heavier, thanks to anti-gravity technology. Many of them were just as young as he was, at least 20 years old or older. Mick turned around towards the group and asked, "Mornin' guys, what's up?"

One of his mates snarled, "Riding upwards, that's up", and then laughed. When the laughter stopped, he asked, "Hey - What is actually going on? Is this somekinda alert rush training?"

Mick replied, "Haven't got a clue - and I have no idea what those freaks up there are up to, but I don't think we're here for 'fending off some Zen's...", Mick looked up and said, "Hmm, this ride could take a while."

"Did anybody else notice that big shakin' around and the blackout?", one of the men asked at the group. "Nah", another pilot said, "Was far to sleepy!"

"Dunno what happened, first thing was the shakin', then everything went offline... and then it took several minutes until we finally got some lights again", he added.

Private/Airman Dennis "Rooks" Henderson - One of Mick's squadmates spoke. Usually during training flights in space, he liked to stick in formation with Mick and play late-night poker with the squad. "Hey Mick", he said, "You heard about Sarge screaming some squad called 'Lance Vanguards' up with us, or? They don't seem to be with us here."

"Yeah, heard him... but I've never met anyone of them... Anybody ever did?", Mick replied. Everybody shook their heads, showing that nobody ever met a single pilot from that particular squadron. He continued, "So far I heard, those 'Vanguards' got a lousy reputation. All of them got really sloppy flying skills – Oh wait, I've only seen them twice in action. The first time I saw one of their Valks was when it nearly skimming the hull of SDF-1". A few chuckled as Mick spoke further, "The second time was when I saw another 'Lance Vanguard' Valkyrie at the shooting range here at Fort Rico. I must say, they might be sucky pilots, but they got a hell of an aim!"

Laughter... then all the sudden... Rooks and others shouted, "WHAT?!"

Mick continued, "Really! I'm not joking. Sayin' the truth", he held hand up innocently, "- They were quite good - Heck, they were pretty damn good! And their way of handling the Valk' in Gravity-Thrust training here at the base was remarkable, too! Wow - You should've seen it!", Many faces started to look confused.

Rooks asked, "Their Grav-Thrust ... wow? You mean really good?!"

Mick nodded positively, "Yup!". Even more faces got confused. "I don't get it", Rooks said, "but didn't you say they were lousy Valk' pilots...?". Mick started to understand he was trying to say. "You're right! How come they suck in outer space but are big time pros in movement training?" Nobody had a clue. """Now that's weird... Were they drunk?""", Mick thought. Before he could think of an explanation, the lift stopped suddenly. ""_Veritech Launch Deck Twelve A_"", a computer voice said. The lift gate-door opened upward.

As gates opened to the side, Mick and all of his squadmates entered a very active and hectic Veritech hangar deck. Many voices, sounds of turbines and announcements could be heard throughout the gigantic hall. There was an intense smell of metal, oil and fuel that really woke up those pilots who were still feeling sleepy. Hundreds of technicians ran back and forth, preparing many vehicles... lots of vehicles. This was the first time they were experiencing the deck in full alert, and yet they still did not know why.

"Holy, looks like the boys are on full stress", he added. "Yeah – and it's pretty loud here, too!", Rooks shouted. Mick, who took a short look around, spotted several VF-1A Valkyries under maintenance and others having their hull and armor being mounted upon them. Another massive truck passed by them, carrying a large rack with several gigantic cannon-rifles for Battleroids and Destroids. Although he did not understand what was going on, he did seem a bit skeptical if everything was going all right. Again, announcement voices spoke through the huge area...

"Uh-oh there's Bronco", somebody shouted from the group, "ATTEN-TION!"

All recruits stood quickly formed rows and looked straight ahead, military style.

Major James Bronco came closer towards the rows of rookies, wearing a HEC suit with his helmet hanging down his back like everybody else. Although seeming slightly aged for the service as a Veritech pilot, he possesses great leadership skills that allow him to belong to one of the best commanders who stand besides the legendary Field Commander, Roy Fokker. If there were any other aspect that would describe Bronco's facial expression, then it would be toughness. Nobody can really explain why he always had such an angry look.

"At ease, rookies. Welcome to the deck! I hope all you ladies had a nice sleep - Well, we won't have enough time to explain much, so within a few minutes you guys gotta pack your stuff and get ready to scramble the Valk's! Ok, are there any questions?"

The whole row saluted back. As the arms dropped down, Rooks' hand rose from the bunch. "Major Bronco, sir? Yeah, I gotta question". Major Bronco looked over to him.

"What's the problem, Airman?"

"Um, I think I'm about to speak for all...", Rooks said, "We're rookies, sir. We haven't got any combat experience... Not even combat training, sir." Rooks shrugged with his shoulders as he asked further, "How come nearly all squadrons, including ours, were called to hit the jumpers?"

( Jumpers - pilot slang for launching from Hangar bays )

Private/Airman Frederick "The Jester" Malone, who was another squadmate of Mick, tends to get loud and energetic when things do not work well.

"Yeah, what's the big idea, sir? I think the defending Valk's are better off with the 'Lance Vanguards'..." Jester added. The whole squadron besides Major Bronco suddenly broke in laughter. Rooks could not keep in control of his laughter, "Yeah!", he said and laughed a few more times, "They're killing machines... ha-ha-ha until...", he coughed a few times due to the intense laughing, "... until they leave the bay!"

All rookies still laughed as Jester joked further... Bronco kept quiet – but for sure, he did feel as if his authority was being ignored. All the sudden, he shouted, "S I L E N C E!"

Surprised by his sudden shout, all went quiet, a few fought against their giggling.

Showing signs of anger, he spoke a lot louder than before, "Aw-right, all of you! Listen up", his voice was so powerful that it even silenced the last few of the rookies who still chuckled, "Sounds like all you people haven't met the 'Lance Vanguard' squadron in person yet and thus, it looks like you people have no idea what happened during the last hour - but let me make this clear, you people are about to meet your new friends." Nobody understood what he actually meant... and once again, laughter exploded. "...From the 'Lance Vanguards' squadron..." he continued. Laughter stopped immediately.

Mick looked at his commander and said as he looked over with a surprised face, "What?! Friends? 'Lance Vanguard' squadron?! Oh com' on, Sarge! We don't need wingmen who would be a greater danger to us than the Zen's, sir?! Remember Murphy's Law in combat, sir? 'The only fire which is more accurate than enemy fire is friendly fire'!", a few started laughing again... Bronco got more and more annoyed answering these questions. "Airman Mickerson! Did I say they were going to be your Wingmen?!"

Mick immediately looked straight again, in military style, but soon his face changed into **pure confusion**, "Sir? They are **not **going to beour Wingmen? ... But, sir... you said..."

Bronco looked over Mick's shoulder, seeing a mechanic wearing a blue vest waving his hand with signal, which meant that their Valkyries were ready.

The flight commander wove his hand, "Enough talking, men! Strap on your helmets and let's get to those Valkyries. Bay 4! Let's MOVE!". Doing as ordered, they replied, "Yes sir!", and started jogging towords bay 4. Several groups of mechanics ran back and forth, taking care of check-ups and other duties. As the whole group jogged along the area, Mick and a few others noticed the hectic and trouble going on, spotting several Valkyries and Destroids being more likely 'patched' up, rather than being totally fixed. Reaching the bay within a few minutes, all rookie pilots looked into the bay where they expected their Valkyries. When they saw their Valkyries, they were not sure if they was theirs. For sure, they were VF-1s, but there were many differences upon them.

"Now wait a minute ...", Mick said, "these are not our Valkyries!".

"What is this?", another squadmate added, "Valkyries two-sitters?!"

Taking a closer look, the cockpit of the Valkyries was not made for a single pilot as expected. Instead, it possessed two seats for two pilots - tandem cockpit.

Rooks scratched his head, "What's this... Some kind of joke? I'm not really in a mood for having a babysitter!" Bronco threw one of his serious looks at Rooks, "Oops I mean..."

Mick turned around to his commander, "Sir, are we going to get flight commanders in the backseat?! It would be better if they would fly, we're just rookies, I mean, we are pure greenhorns – and not fully trained combat pilots, sir! The 'Lance Vanguard' squadron could need two-seaters! Definitely, THEY need pilots! In fact - BABYSITTERS - to be precise, sir!"

As Mick stopped speaking, Bronco suddenly grinned... "Looks like you just answered the 'backseat passenger question'..."

The tough looking Major leaned slightly to the side, looking over the shoulders' of the recruits and noticed a group of familiar faces standing in a row behind the rookie pilots - Their faces soon were surely going to be a surprise for the "Cascade Knights". He continued, " ...and it looks like here they come... 'Cascade Knight' squadron! Salute to the 'Lance Vanguards'!"

All recruits, in a row, turn around and saluted as they all turned... saying: "The Cascade Knight squadron welcomes the 'Lan- ..." - They suddenly interrupted or stuttered in their speech at the very moment they recognized the pilots of the other squadron. Nearly all every pilot of the 'Cascade Knights' could not even finish the greetings sentence as they saw the other group - face to face. They were more astonished than ever.

The whole 'Lance Vanguards' group on the other hand, saluted and greeted with their speech - many soft voices spoke: "'Lance Vanguards' squadron is honored to fly with the 40th Valkyrie Squadron 'Cascade Knights'!"

Rooks was confused, "What the ... ?!", not looking to them in face, rather lower...

Jester was confused as well, "Nah, I'm not flying with them! How on Earth will I survive when I got freaking pilots like them on the lead?!"

"Watch your language, Pal!", Bronco snarled at him, "Who said they were going to fly for you?"

The voice of another squadmate asked, "What?", he said, starting to combine and understand the situation, "Sir, you mean, they're... ?". Bronco continued his sentence and nodded a few times, "You got it, Buster. They'll be your eyes, your ears, your aim and your gunner. You boys concentrate on the flying."

Rooks slapped his hand gently against his head, "Ok... now we're screwed...", and moaned.

Mick was looking at first at the feet of one of the many 'Lance Vanguards' pilots... The suit boots seem the same like his, although colored either in apple red, cyan or purple... He looked slowly more upward... The from waist to torso, the profile was like "bottle-shape figure" in a tight suit... He looked more upward... to the chest region... and he saw something that he would have never expected... similiar to two round balloons... under the suit... He came to a conclusion: All pilots of were ... women.

The whole 'Cascade Knight' squadron was more likely still having trouble trying to keep their mouth shut. "All right, knocked if off, Knights", Bronco said with a very aggressive voice, "Show more respect to your co-pilots! I guess all of you still didn't get the message.

"_Uh oh..._", another squadmate whispered from the side, expecting Bronco's incoming typical argument manor - and for sure, he seemed very angry.

Walking slowly back and forth, he spoke with such a voice that even a few of the women behind them shook, "Listen up, I want all of you to listen up. These women do not need to be insulted by a crowd of greenhorns like all of you are. They are skilled!", he shouted loudly, "- They have proven bravery - They have flown already several times - Hell, they have even flown during the last World War ... and all of you greenhorns got to show as appreciation for their knowledge is to underestimate their skills? You guys probably didn't get the message that all of you are responsible for your new RW co-pilot. Their lives lie in your hands - if you screw up, they'll definitely screw up with you. You'll be tearing them down into the deep like an anchor tied to their legs. So show more respect!", and paused shortly. "Got it?"

"Yes sir...", the whole 'Cascade Knight' group said.

"I can't hear you!", Bronco shouted back.

"YES SIR!"

There was a very short moment of silence despite the loud ambience of the hangar deck from behind. Having his arms on his hips, Major Bronco lifted his head and said with a much calmer voice, "Alright. Better... and you guys better apologize to your co-pilots in person later – That's an order... and now, let's get on with the plan...", the tough flight commander said and wove his hand over to the group of women standing behind the pilots, "'Lance Vanguards', please get closer. I guess we grown-ups can carry on with these kids..." Mick heard somebody grumble shortly when he just heard what Bronco snarled. Just a few moments later, three other groups of female pilots and one woman who seemed highly ranked lined in rows behind... "As all of you may have noticed, bridge command wishes to introduce the VF-1D 'Valley-Cat' into it's first mission with the pilots of the 'Armadillo' division and those of the 'Venus' division. The situation explained to us commanders did not sound very good, but you all will get recap when we are out there..."

Having mixed feelings, Mick was not sure if he should feel anxious about his first mission or nervous about the situation Bronco just mentioned...

The voice of Bronco spoke as Mick daydreamed further, "The 'Valley-Cat' is a hybrid prototype Valkyrie specially designed for the use of multi-targeting missile systems and an advanced warning system. It also possesses augmented drives, providing it with more versatility and flexibility for evasive maneuvers. The 'Valley-Cat' is reliable and tough - but it requires the care of two willing pilots. The cockpit does not differ much from the other ones, so you guys will be able to familiarize yourself in it with ease. Your RWs know most of the basics already... We don't have the time to go into details, but I think all of you will make it. Treat 'Cat' well and the 'Cat' will treat you well."

"_Meow..._", Jester heard as one of the women whispered the typical sound of a cat from behind.

"I cannot tell you all what is actually going out there, but bridge command has ordered us up - and that definitely was a serious decision. I bet a bunch of ya got questions over questions but we don't have the time for it now", Bronco explained, "All I can say is that were are running against time and we've got a deadline to beat. But anyways, we need to carry on. I'm giving the word further to Lieutenant Commander Singhilde Vikksdottir who is the commander of the 'Venus' division and the 'Viking Thunder' squadron will assign each of you to which co-pilot you belong to." Waving his hand as a welcome to the space aside himself, while looking at a certain person in the row, Bronco called her name and grinned shortly, "Commander?"

Leaving the rows of rookie pilots, Lt.Cmdr. Vikksdottir walked ahead towards the side of Major Bronco. As she walked, she pulled out a computeristic pad, which Mick has seen a few times in the hands of Veritech officers. From what he heard of, flight commanders used these pads to receive their mission information such as duty rosters and other additional messages. Just as she joined Bronco's side, somebody from the 'Cascade Hunters' whistled quietly... The sound they normally whistled when they see something 'hot'. All groups made a half circle in front of their commanders as they stood in rows. Speaking with a Swedish but understandable accent, Vikksdottir sounded pleased as she spoke with the whole group, "Thank you, Major. As all of you have heard, we need to hurry up. I will now declare which squadrons will be combined together and the names of those pilots and co-pilots who will fly together..."

Mick, who still was daydreaming and worrying about the mission nearly overheard all the names of the squadrons - but luckily, he heard the name of his squadron mentioned with the one called 'Lance Vanguards'. But then again, he looked away slightly, loosing interest in listening to the groups, letting himself be distracted by something else. His mind was elsewhere, wondering about how it would be out in space again. It was not the first time being in space, but it was the fact of flying into a real mission that did sound very dangerous which made him slightly unease. As the names were mentioned in pairs, Mick looked back down and started wondering to whom he would belong to. Looking slowly to the side, Mick looked at the groups of rowed female co-pilots who were grouped along with their 'tighter' HEC suits colored equal to their squadron-colors.

Another group of pilots ran past them... but Mick kept his eyes peeled on the rows of women standing.

"""'Lance Vanguards', ey?""", Mick thought as Lt.Cmdr. Vikksdottir spoke further and looked at the group of women who came first. The color red and black were the primary colors as well as purple shoulder colors as secondary stripes. As he observed the group, he started to notice that many of them were from many different nations as well as differences in age - and for sure, they did had the looks of determination as they stood proudly. Staring at a certain pilot of the 'Lance Vanguards', he spotted one of the smallest and perhaps youngest person of the group who did not seem to be like an adult at all - but just as he guessed how old she was, she sensed him looking straight at her... which caused Mick to look away.

"""_'Their lives lie in your hands - if you screw up, they'll screw up...'_""", were the words of Bronco that went through Mick's mind a few times - and he knew he was right. It would be his responsibility to keep whoever would be sitting behind him alive. Just the thought of responsibility made Mick more nervous than ever. As the large group of rookies started to split up, both male and female pilots heading together to their new fighter, the large group of men and women slowly became smaller and smaller. Since there were several members from squadrons, it took a very long while until Mick suddenly heard familiar names.

"...Airman Frederick 'Jester' Malone? You'll be flying with Airman Cassandra 'Sparrow' Freeman, Airman 1st Class Niel 'Rixler' Madison - Airman 1st Class Jenna 'Genesis' Calahan..." - countless names were called up and Mick started to feel bored, although it was only a few minutes left until everybody was assigned. Waking up totally from his daydreaming after a short while, Mick suddenly noticed that only 'Wiseguy' stood aside from him. Looking over again, he also noticed that there was only one female pilot left who had tanned skin with a face, which seemed of Hispanic heritage. She had her arms crossed and did not seem really happy at all - as if she were angry about something. Now Mick was really worried, how come was there only one female co-pilot left if there were still two pilots to be assigned?

"Betcha a can of Nukem-Cola if it's me, Mick?", Wiseguy said quietly.

"Uhm...", was all he could reply.

Another truck loaded with several packs of ammunition rode by...

Looking upon her pad, Lt.Cmdr. Vikksdottir finally called upon them with her Swedish accent, "Welll well, we are almost through. Airman Vincent 'Wiseguy' Gregory? You will be the pilot of Airman Esmeralda 'Piranja' Dominga-Sanchez - and you're Valkyrie is parked right over there."

"""Hmm...""", Mick thought, """Ok, now what?"""

Clapping his hand shortly Mick's shoulder, Wiseguy said with a low voice as he went by , "You owe me a coke, dude", snarled a sound with his tongue and pointed his finger like a gun towards Mick as he winked with his eye. Walking towards Piranja, Wiseguy reached out his hand wanting to shake hands with her as he greeted her with, "Hi Piranja. Hope we'll have a good hunt out there"... but instead of shaking her hands back with his, she only ignored his hand and walked her own way pass Wiseguy, saluted shortly to the commanders and headed to their Valkyrie. Standing with a lonesome hand stretched out, Wiseguy turned around as she walked away. It was the cold shoulder she threw at him that really made him worry. "Geez, was it something I said?", he asked, wondering why she ignored him just like that.

Crossing her arms, Vikksdottir only smiled back at him and explained, "No need to worry, Airman. She's a person who tends to have a bad temper all the time. In fact - and you can believe me - You can expect her head to be harder than Hyper-Carbonite. And actually, you're the first person she did not scare away from the beginning - but no need to take it personal. She's a nice person to interact with when you get know her... but you better also keep an eye on her - She is also known to be as a very 'loose cannon'... I'm sure you'll make it"

Confused - or more likely - surprised by her words, Wiseguy slowly walked by, following the path of his new... and bad-tempered co-pilot as he saluted at his commanders and threw an envious look over to Mick. """Hot damn...""", Mick thought as one of his eyebrows went up, """He'll be needing that coke alright..."""

Standing alone in a HEC suit, Mick started to even wonder if he was going to even fly out. No co-pilots were left and it was only him who stood as a rookie pilot in front of two highly experianced fighter pilots.

"""Holy - don't tell me I'm gonna be the pilot of Vikks... Vikks... _whateverhernameis_..."""

Both commanders looked back at the lonesome pilot at the same moment that stood still like a statue – A spotlight figure left alone.

"Last - but not least, huh, kid?", Bronco joked, with his arms crossed.

"So I guess you must be Airman Lars 'Mick' Mickerson", Lt.Cmdr. Vikksdottir said with a calm voice, "Sorry to have you standing here so long, but I did not know with whom you were going to fly with at first since I've received the list of assigned pilots and co-pilots just moments ago. As you may have noticed, you're co-pilot is not here."

"Oh, she's not here, Ma'am?", he replied nervously – which sounded stupid since he only repeated what she just said.

"Exactly. Oh yes, her name – Her name is Airman Roxanne 'FoxyRoxy' Keldon, a former pilot of the Central European Coalition, Holland - To which she has served three years long during the Great War against the AUL terrorists", Vikksdottir explained clearly, "A very intelligent person indeed. Since she knew that she would meet her newly assigned pilot sooner or later, she already went over to your Valkyrie in order to take care of the optimization of her cockpit-systems. She's left-handed, you know".

"Airman?", Mick wondered, "May I ask a question, Ma'am?"

"Sure"

"Practically all pilots under your command have served a few years – long before us... Why are they all equally ranked to us although they have served longer in the Military?", he shrugged his arms as he hoped for an answer.

"It's a long story, Mickerson, but fact is that although they have served longer than all of you, they are novice to the RDF, the new Valkyrie and its sophisticated equipment... There's another reason, but there is no time to explain it - You better get moving to meet up with your RW co-pilot who should be waiting at your Valkyrie parked in slot 27-K, Airman. We're already slightly behind schedule, dismissed..."

Both commanders saluted at Mick - He did the same. Just as he left from the both of them, Mick heard Bronco said, "Hey, Mick". He looked back shortly as his commander gained his attention.

"Just keep cool, okay?", was all Bronco said and walked away with Lt.Cmdr. Vikksdottir. It was clear that Bronco noticed that Mick was pretty nervous indeed. Walking his way alone to the slot where his Valkyrie was parked, Mick spotted Rooks further away, shaking hands with his female RW co-pilot. Knowing how Rooks usually was, he was usually the cool-headed guy, but instead of being as usual, he seemed very nervous as well and over-polite towards his new RW co-pilot... As if he were on his first date.

After passing several Valkyries parked aside from each other with many mechanics, pilots, co-pilots and other deck operatives moving around, he finally found his new Valkyrie with it's wings set to the back. Looking upon it, he spotted several differences as well as the slightly thicker armor layer along its hull. The upper area of the Valkyrie had two small dual missile launchers as well as short frontload beam cannons hidden within the side of hull. Shortly walking under the wing, Mick spotted a different looking cannon-rifle stuck under the belly that did not seem to be the usual GU-11 gun pod at all. Unlike the GU-11 gun pod hanging far out, the cannon-rifle was slightly within the belly, perhaps as a safety measure in order not to shoot into the head cannon when it is activated.

Walking under his new Valkyrie from the belly to its nose, Mick slid with his hand upon its tough armor. For sure, this Veritech had the appearance of being state-of-the-art. Having the colors of both squadrons, it did give a proud feeling. Already armed and ready, it only stood there, waiting for its pilot and co-pilot to climb into its open cockpit. Strange for Mick, there was no sign of his co-pilot as he climbed up the integrated stepladder on the side of the cockpit and as he climbed upwards, he noticed two names on the side - One for the pilot, the other for the co-pilot. He read: Airman Lars 'Mick' Mickerson , with 'Mick' in a large style letters and a Smiley under his name showing a "teeth smile" as well as the symbol of his squadron, which pleased him. He then read the other name slightly next to his - A symbol of fox with red evil-looking eyes along with the RDF-symbol in the background: Airman Roxanne "FoxyRoxy" Keldon.

Mick sat a few seconds inside the cockpit. Many systems and controls did seem familiar, but there were many other things as well missing that he has seen in a normal VF-1. He then said to himself, "Well well, here we go...", and strapped on his seat-harnesses and clicked on the main engines of the Valkyrie. Taking a short look around, he started to find more and more differences in his cockpit. Definately, there were more navigational systems than those systems that were normally used for targeting. He also noticed that the new mechanics of Veritech controls were fitted in this Valkyrie as well which especially supported the NH2VS gloves. Just at the moment he grabbed both controls, certain frames and lines upon both grips started to glow slightly, showing that they have reacted to the presence of the gloves.

"Hmm", Mick said towards himself, "... maybe I'm in for a solo after all..."

Just as Mick leaned back shortly, a figure in a full HEC suit with a sealed helmet lifted it's head in the back seat and spoke with a soft voice behind Mick suddenly spoke, "- Oh, hello. You must be 'Mick'. I'm Roxanne Keldon, your Radar-Weaponary co-pilot". More surprise than ever, Mick looked around hysterically, wondering from where the voice was coming from, "- You can call me 'FoxyRoxy'... 'Foxy' or 'Roxy', your choice", the soft voice said and giggled. The voice was soft indeed and did have a slight accent of a person who came from a central European country.

Mick looked ahead and then pressed a button on his left screen, which showed the face of the person who was talking to him. The person, in fact, was a female co-pilot whose suit was colored the same like those of the 'Lance Vanguards' squadron... specially made for women. Her face was actually tainted blue and hard to recognize due to the dark blue colored glass of her helmet, despite the reflection of her display features as well as the 'combined visor glass' that covered her whole eye section inside the helmet's glass. He felt surprised and did not what to say at first. Not thinking about what to say, he shot out, "Oh, um", coughed and cleared his voice, "... I... am Mick, yeah... that's me. Um, yeah... FoxyRoxy... sounds great..."

He paused... feeling more nervous than ever...

"Sorry I did not manage to meet you during the group assignments, but I'm a lefty and I needed to get things done before we would take off", she winked once again.

He clicked around on his panels, laid his left hand on the thrust control throttle and pushed it a little.

The engines of his Valkyrie started to make the typical humming sound he was familiar to. He tried to ignore Foxy-Roxy's face as he charged the Valkyrie's systems up...

Recognizing a smile through the dense reflections of her helmet, Mick could see FoxyRoxy smiling as she said, "I love that sound... Those DX-3 Protoculture drives surely sound harmonically, don't cha think? Oh - Just incase you are not informed, this baby we're about to fly is a VF-1D 'Valley-Cat' prototype. My squad didn't know that we were going to be needed today all the sudden, but our commander said that we were the right people for the job. But anyways, I will be doing the targeting for you while you fly us around. Just get me in the right position and I'm sure we can get into business. Pull the trigger when I get a lock-on for you, alright?"

Although she had a very friendly voice, Mick only threw a very short smile and a nod as a reply, then deactivated the image and threw his head gently against his seat... Just the thoughts about Major Bronco's advice of responsibility really made the young pilot more and more nervous by the second.

-----


	4. Chapter 3 Knights and Vanguards

---- Chapter 3 ---- "Knights and Vanguards"

As the RDF continued with their preparations of building defensive fleets around the SDF-1, it was indeed known that time was running out. At least two and a half hours have gone by and everybody within the bridge citadel could see the strange object of colossal size, which was following the Zentraedi command ship. Was it a new ally of the Zentraedi? Sitting on the commanding seat of the bridge, Admiral Gloval smoked his pipe quietly. It was the lack of knowledge about this strange object that plagued his mind with mere trouble. As for the rest of the crew, there surely was a sign of concern. Still surrounded by darkness due to the lack of lighting, the bridge surely gave the impression as if it were nighttime. Looking far ahead upon the hull, Gloval started to see several small blue pairs of bright stars leaving the deck and spreading out...

---

Back at the Veritech launching deck, all Valkyries of the rookie squadrons were ready for deployment. The deck itself was a gigantic hall that even had enough space for a horizontal skyscraper. Filled with hundreds of Veritech hardware, pilots and other deck operatives, the area just got louder and louder by the second as every combat unit slowly began to charge their systems. Feeling rather lonely, Mick sat in a sealed-closed cockpit, waiting slightly nervous for something to happen. It was the waiting that killed the little bit of patience he had. He was so quiet that even his new RW co-pilot stayed quiet, perhaps thinking about something else. Several times, Mick turned his head to the left and right, looking at the many other cockpits of other 'Valley-Cats' parked further away. He could see that both his squad mates and their new backseat strangers behind them were slowly getting along with each other. Practically everybody was having a conversation, somewhat in-depth talking. Not wanting to disturb anybody, Mick did not contact any of his friends at all – Although he was sure at least Wiseguy could need a familiar face, especially since his new co-pilot neither seemed to be the talkative nor the friendly type of person.

Suddenly, as Mick leaned his head towards the back, the screen on the right-hand side fuzzed shortly, then showed a face of a woman he has never seen before – and yet, her voice was very familiar.

""_Attention, Veritech fleet. This is Commander Hayes of Bridge Command_..."", the woman announced.

"Hoo boy..."

""..._All Valkyries have permission for take-off. Condition 'Red Seven'! All units are to dispatch and maintain their position close to the SDF-1. Fleet Command will brief you shortly - Bridge Command, out_.""

Within a flash, Commander Hayes disappeared just as fast as she appeared. He leaned back into his seat, trying to remember that voice, """Man, I could have sworn I heard that voice once before...""" - then he spoke up, "Hey, you ready back there?"

Finally, his co-pilot broke the silence, "Everything is ok back here, Mick", she replied. For guy like Mick, it was not really easy to start a conversation with a person who was a total stranger – and yet, FoxyRoxy did seem to be eager to start a chat.

Noticing one of the technicians outside waving his hand back and forth, he noticed that the Valkyrie fighters around started to float slightly above the ground. As for the whole hangar area, the whole ground was fitted with special magnetic and anti-magnetic rails. When activated, they generate a field that caused the Valkyrie to hover above the ground with great ease.

FoxyRoxy felt a little bit weird for the second and took a deep breath as the Valkyrie lifted up. Mick pulled up the landing gears.

""Attention, ladies and gentlemen"", Major Bronco's tough voice suddenly said over the commline, ""Hope all of you have got used to your new cockpit. Anyways, this is the situation – A Zentraedi vessel has appeared out of nowhere and is on the move towards the SDF-1...""

Jester's voice suddenly interrupted the communication line, ""Yeah right, and now we have to destroy it and those hordes of pods, huh?""

""Not quite, hot shot. There is another problem out there"", the commander replied - sounding rather strange.

Jester continued speaking, looking back, sounding slightly angry, ""This sucks, sir! First, we get woken up in the middle of the sleeping period, then we get called up for a flight mission, for who more experienced pilots are more likely capable and needed for, rather than a handful squads of rookies like... Now I get a passenger...and NOW I hear we are not gonna fend some Zen's?!""

Annoyed once again, Bronco shouted, ""Blast it, Jester! Our job is to defend the SDF-1 and obey orders, no matter WHAT!""

""Sir, whose idea was it to bust us on a two-seater?"", Rooks asked quietly, hoping he would finally get an answer.

""The big boss, himself, kid..."", the commander replied, sounding sure that they understood he meant.

Mick's thoughts went through his head again:

"""Yeah right, I should have known... The one and only - Admiral Gloval -... I should ha-"""

His thoughts were interrupted as Bronco's voice started to explain something interesting, ""Ok, now all listen up carefully. This is important. The situation is very serious. As a few of you have noticed, the SDF-1 had a blackout. Well, the reason for that power shortage was actually the Reflex-Cannon, which backfired somehow and disrupted several internal systems throughout the SDF-1. Bridge Command said that many difficulties have happened ever since and that they would require every single unit the RDF has to offer – but that's not all. There's something else that came out of the same jump point. Something even larger than the Zen's vessel itself... ""

An unknown female voice spoke, ""_Sir, this is Spades... How large is 'it'_?""

- Major Bronco sounded at first unsure, " 'Very large' - We're talking about something that is as large as the SDF-1 itself! Nobody has ever seen something like that and they don't have a single clue how the Zen's got such a big thing. The Bridge said it was some kind of 'Bio-Mechanic ship'""

""Biological - ?..."", Rooks repeated, his co-pilot added, ""..._ship_? _And that large_?""

""Great... What's this now? Now we have to put up with something more unknown than the Zen's themselves..."", Jester said with a low voice.

""We'll see about that"", Bronco replied, ""but right now we have to check what that Zentraedi vessel is up to. I want all Valkyries under my wing to build a close echelon formation after the launch."

All rookies confirmed his order. The magnetic rails, which were controlled from the launch-center, could easily lift Valkyries with the special anti-grav and magnetic technologies above the ground. Afterwards, they would be carried over the rails to the launching bay, where all Valkyries would hit full throttle and leave the SDF-1.

Mick himself was ready... although he felt a lot more nervous than before, especially since this was going to be a real outer space mission and not some quiet how-to-fly tour. Although his hand trembled slightly, he did manage to keep his coolness after all – at least up to a certain point. Unlike his co-pilot, Mick did hear heavy breathing from behind even though he was wearing a helmet. Deciding to make sure everything was alright, he asked one more time, "Hey, you sure that you're ok back there? You sound -..." She shook her head, "I'm fine... I was just...", trying to find words, FoxyRoxy hesitated shortly, "...um, was just checking our primary weapon systems..."

"Oh – Well , um... Is this your first launch?", he asked.

"Not really... actually, I've flown a VF-1 only once myself...", she replied, "but nearly crashed into one of the gun turrets... Pretty lucky that it was just a scratch...", and smiled slightly with embarrassment.

Again, his thoughts struck his mind like a lighting bolt, """Holy... that must be the same pilot I've seen who skimmed the hull! Bloody lucky that I'm the one flying this thing...!"""

A green signal blinked several times upon his HUD and showed numbers counting downwards. He shook his head, "Well, guess we've got three minutes left, Foxy. Better get ready for the ride." Reacting to his words, FoxyRoxy immediately grabbed both handles next to her sides and as Mick did the last check-up, he noticed her rather unease movements – It was only a short while until the launch, and yet she already grabbed the handles firmly. There was not really much time to get in touch or even familiarized with each other, but from what he knew up to now, he did notice something interesting. Despite what Major Bronco said about the striving careers of the female squadrons before, he did sense that she was just as surprised about their new assignment as he was. Of course, she already gave the impression of knowing the hardware in-depth, but it was clear that she was afraid about what was going on.

Staring on the image, which showed this young female RW co-pilot, she stared towards the outside, perhaps looking at one of her squad mates in other Valkyries. It was still impossible to tell how her face looked like - Her mouth was the only thing that he could distinguish behind the dense blue glass of her helmet. Strapped into her seat and surrounded by several thin touchpads with holo-images around her, she also gave the impression as if she were crushed by all the responsibilities she was about to deal with. Her rather small body made her seem like as if she were a young girl who feared the world around herself.

Snapping out of his imagination, he turned off his secondary screen and looked around. Looking left and right, their Valkyrie was surrounded several others in a row, floating slowly back and forth, waiting for the last step of launching to be done. As for the all launching bays throughout all ships of the RDF, invisible atmospheric force fields kept the air pressure inside the launching bay like a bubble – These systems are especially known for their reliability even during power shortage times, since they have their own backup auto-emergency power grids. Whenever a Valkyrie should bypass this 'bubble', a large mass of air is pulled out into space, which would freeze instantaneously, leaving a trail of a cloud glittering in a beautiful crystalline blue color along with the high sound of gushing wind.

This was it – The time was up.

"Ok now hold on tight. Here goes!"

Mick activated the Valkyrie's afterburners. Feeling the roar and pure power of their Valkyrie's thrusters, both Mick and FoxyRoxy felt overwhelmed by the intense acceleration. The acceleration was so strong that he was pressed back to his seat as the metallic-eagle blazed through the launch corridor. FoxyRoxy could feel pressure everywhere against her body... She tried to keep quiet, but was forced to sigh a very loud, "Nggnnnhh..."

"Just hold on a little... bit! The cockpit grav-harness should kick in a few secs..." Mick said, biting his teeth together.

""Wooooohooooo!""", Jester's voice suddenly shouted joyfully over the commline.

Seconds passed and the rumbling still shook the whole ship like a mixer... but then, the shaking stopped. As waves of frozen air particles flushed behind them and other fighters, their Valkyrie left the bay and was now in outer space. Just as he said, the gravity-harness systems activated and the cockpit's heavy Gs slowly went down. He started to feel relievement on his shoulders, "Ah...Better..."

""Wow, baby"", Jester a few times again, ""That was fun! Can we do that again?""

While several voices of rookie pilots shouted 'shut up!', Mick did waste the thought if Jester really meant it. Just as Mick started to clear his mind, he heard FoxyRoxy breathing loudly. Although the ride was very strenuous, he did wonder why she was so excited. A few Valkyries from other squadrons dashed beyond their sides along with waves of other heavily armed fighters. As he looked outside, several images such as holo-lines and displays suddenly appeared all around his cockpit glass, along with a computer voice speaking as it began activating several systems automatically, ""_Activating navigation systems. Auto-frequency tracking, online. Tactical systems, online..._""

As the voice spoke, the wings of their 'Valley-Cat' as well as those of the others spreaded themselves wide open, along with the secondary wings next to the thrusters. The sight around them was remarkable as their Valkyrie floated straight ahead... and he had no idea what was really awaiting him.

Suddenly, Bronco's voice shouted along with his typical angry face which appeared on screen, ""Wake up and quit the daydreaming, kid! Get into formation immediately!""

"Oops... that's a roger, sir!", Mick replied with a very nervous voice.

At first, he did not move the control stick until a few guiding lines appeared around the cockpit glass, showing his designated position. Fitted with microscopic small fiberglass-lines, information could easily be transferred to the pilot coming from the ship's A.I.-core. From incoming warning signals to direction/waypoint lead supports - All in an understandable perspective - a remarkable source of information for new rookies, especially for those like Mick. While his helmet-glass only showed some visual gimmicks from time to time, like incoming messages for an example, he remembered seeing his RW co-pilot's helmet-glass showing more visual-aids and other things than his. Perhaps some aiming aids, he thought. Controlling the Valkyrie was indeed not a problem for Mick, since he belonged to one of the best of his class. Reacting to his control stick movements and pedals, the Valkyrie turned slightly and flew a clean curve. His thoughts reminded him that he was not alone in the Valkyrie... He only heard FoxyRoxy pressing a few buttons and switches... having no idea what for.

Mick flew towards his position and noticed that his and the other rookie squadrons were the only ones in flight. When he flew past structures on top of the SDF-1's hull, he saw hundreds of blinking wingtips and far-away flashing dots. There were so many that he had no chance in even counting how many squadrons were out there. It was like a sky filled with hundreds of thousands of floating bees, surrounding the frontal area of the SDF-1. Slowing down while turning upside down like all other fighters, it was a weird feeling for him to be next to so many Valyries, while having the SDF-1 above him... The upside-down feeling was confusing indeed.

"So many Valks? Didn't expect the whole army..." he said.

FoxyRoxy spoke, "Hey, Mick... Look over there. Can you see that white-grey thing far ahead - over there around 11 o'clock? It must be that ship Major Bronco was talking about."

Hearing her padded fingertips touching something soft a few times, Mick started to hear a sound coming from their Valkyrie. She aimed the head cannon of the Valkyrie into the direction of the unknown bio-ship, zoom in and displayed it on Mick primary multi-display-screen. "- I still can't tell how it looks like... It's too far away..."

"Yeah, must be it...", he said, then looked on the other side and saw massive groups of Destroid battalions ready and armed on the deck of SDF-1. Recognizing the many Destroids with five long barrels, he added, "...Wow... they even got the Monster-class Destroids on deck...", and looked straight ahead again.

"This is very strange...", FoxyRoxy said - Her voice was filled with concern. Just from his point of view, the situation started to get more serious than expected. Just the looks of the SDF-1 made him worried – probably just as worried as she was, just by hearing her rather loud breathings.

"""Maybe she got 'Rookie Fever'""", Mick thought, the pilot slang when novice pilots feel slightly ill as well as the feeling of the air in the helmet and suit pressing hard against lungs, making breathing difficult. 'Rookie Fever' is actually only a very minor psychological matter that would disappear after a long while in space – at least he hoped it would it be short matter.

Looking back down on the battlefortress' hull, which seemed to have not really recovered well at all during the last weeks, it's defensive capabilities and the fleet of flexible units surely gave Mick the impression that Bridge Command was a lot more desperate than Bronco reported... A lot more desperate...

"Hey, Foxy...?", Mick said, asking for her attention.

"Hmm, yes, Mick?", ready to hear what he wanted to say as she lifted her head slightly – Her attention even caused her breathing to calm down, maybe because she was distracted... but the short pause before speaking gave FoxyRoxy the thought that something troubled him...

"I don't know really...", he continued with a firm voice, "but we better keep sharp... Got a real bad feeling about this. Got this feeling tellin' me that we're on to something... big ... Something far more dangerous... - we better keep sharp..."

Although he did not see his co-pilot at the moment, he did sense her worried face behind him...

----


	5. Chapter 4 Unforeseen Complications

---- Chapter 4 ---- unforeseen complications...

Hidden among the thousand communication frequencies, a subtle and intense encrypted transmission is being sent through a certain channel – practically undetectable by the usual communication systems. Lurking within the chaos of broadband interactions, its goal receiver finally intercepts the transmission and listens to its content. The voice heard is so effectively encrypted that even the voice and the message itself contains severe interferences. Although the voice is garbled and hardly understandable, it is still possible to distinguish a female voice. The receiver took very long until it found a suitable frequency channel to at least make part of this secret transmission understandable, but never the less, the voice is combined with intense radio interferences. Having several holes and non-understandable words of this unknown woman said:

""... _is Viper... - peration: Purge has_..."", several words are not understandable due to the noise, ""..._earlier than scheduled... Navigator detected_..."", once again, missing words, ""... _Yet... Viper falsified... transmission to... has been detect... ration: Purge begins now... Venom has_..."", several seconds of fuzzing sounds, ""_Viper...falsifified data... Reflex... beyond operational levels... Defenses greatly weakened... As V...m ... Gloval is predictable... val has no chance... but to_..."" – The transmission is suddenly stopped and saved deep within the system of receiver, as its user wishes to listen to it later...

----

Filled with cilivians, building, restaurants, structures, parks, playgrounds and many more areas, Macross City continued its life as usual, ignorantly thinking that everything was back to their normal ways. As the RDF kept with their usual attempts in defending the ship, the civilians throughout the city lived their lives. Robert Jackson, who was aged 22 years old and a black American, was just the normal working civilian on board as any other person. Actually more likely lost in space like everybody else, Robert belongs to those unlucky people whose family was somewhere else on the world, probably not even knowing that their loved ones are still alive.

After having no choice but to board the SDF-1 after the misfold, Robert was assigned for an interesting job: Fixing civilian vehicles and other high-tech mechanical devices, since he was very experienced in electro-mechanics and other technical skills he learned back on Macross Island. As the months went by, he received several job queries that dealt with the military and the engineering corporations of the RDF. Although the RDF and its engineering crew would profit well from such a skilled person like Robert, he denied their queries, since he felt that the responsibility would be too much for him. Besides this, he did not wish to loose the contact of his colleagues at the workshop, especially since he was known as "Mr. Fix-it". Even though he was seen as a person who was wasting his valuable talent, the RDF still continued their job queries – and Robert still kept to the shop.

Getting calls or tasks was his typical day – which was actually easy work – especially when alerts and civilian shelter calls were underway. Working rather late at 'night' with his friends at the workshop, he spent most of his time fixing the hovercars parked inside. Although surprised by the short blackout that happened only a few hours ago, he got back to his usual work. Not knowing that a threat was coming closer, his normal life was soon about to change from its normal way...

----

As moments went by, the SDF-1 and its defensive fleet was about to confront the new danger. Just as the deadline went by, both the Zentraedi ship and the unknown organic mothership-like object reached the 25km radius around the battleship. At 20km, the imminent confrontation might be fought once again too close to the SDF-1... but there was still some 'breathing room'. The crew itself was getting more and more anxious as they saw the gigantic object already visible far ahead.

Breaking the silence of the bridge, Vanessa's voice struck her surroundings in surprise. Although the Sensory Station was not working fully operational, the sensor array detected danger.

"Admiral!", she shouted loudly, "The Zentraedi command ship has activated four of its long range weapon systems and began the deployment of three very large divisions of Zentraedi Battlepods ... Detecting also four very large objects which have been launched from the vessel's body! Unable to confirm their identification, but their silhouette has the shape of long range siege missiles!"

The old man looked back towards the front and said, "... so they have finally decided to engage us... Our defensive fleet shall stand by. Officer Leeds, what type of attack formation can you see upon the three Battlepod divisions?"

Surviving the last few months and experiencing the way of how the Zentraedi hunt the SDF-1, it was Admiral Gloval's expectation to foresee the Zentraedi's attacking fleet to spread out, showing that there was no escape... but this time, Gloval has mistaken in his belief to the Zentraedi strategy.

Spotting all three groups and all four siege missiles taking a different course, Vanessa spoke up with a very confused voice, "Sir... This is... strange. The Zentraedis and the four missiles are taking a course opposite to our position."

Lifting his head shortly, the Admiral immediately raised himself from his seat and walked over to the station of his sensor officer. "They are heading towards the opposite direction? Towards that... thing?"

"Affimative, sir...", she replied, sounding more surprised. Astonished by several large explosions and flashes far ahead, Gloval, the whole bridge crew and the defending fleet of the SDF-1 could see that the Zentraedi must have engaged the titanic object behind them. Numerous beams emitted from the Zentraedi vessel and struck upon the hull of the bio-mechanic ship...

"Seems like as if they are attacking the bio-ship...", Claudia said, "but why?".

"Yes, Commander Grant!", she added, "but it looks like that the pods are not the only ones out there now. I'm not really sure... but I can detect an equivalent number of several other unidentified units around the bio-ship... I cannot identify them at all... I – I've never seen such things before..."

Claudia turned around shortly as she noticed what she just said, "Are they fighters?"

The young sensor officer tried to focus the array, but it was unable to gather any data about these small objects due to the fact that it lacked the needed power. But then suddenly, the Protoculture Database displayed a name for the gigantic mothership-like object.

"Wait... It looks like as if the Database found identification for that bio-ship... not much... A name... A name for the bio-ship...?", she spoke the name as she read it through, "In-vid Ar-ti-cla-tis Ma-exlae-aa... That is all, sir... The data base actually has more information, but it cannot be..." Vanessa suddenly interrupted her speech as she saw something happening on her large screen, "Sir! The 'Invid' mothership is engaging the Zentraedi Vessel with great speed! I can also detect that the Zentraedi vessel and its Battlepods are retreating from combat as well!"

"What on Earth are they up to?!...", Gloval said loudly.

On her screen, the large 'Invid' ship started moving faster and faster, closing in on the Zentraedi vessel.

"The "Invid"-ship is very close to the vessel and it looks like the bio-ship has ... opened up its bow widely!... It... It is about to swallow up the vessel!" -

She paused all the sudden as the Zentraedi vessel signal started showing multiple readings and pulsing a bubble around itself. Recognizing what the Zentraedi ship was about to do, she shouted , "I am picking up Zentraedi reactor readings!", and turned around, "The Zentraedi vessel is about to hyperjump with an expanded sphere!"

"Blasting meteorites!", the old man shouted, "They are retreating... Making a run for it!"

The whole bridge crew looked ahead towards the front, looking outside... Hard to tell what was happening ahead. Before the vessel was completely swallowed up by the "Invid-bioship", a long and bright flash occurred... then emptiness. The Zentraedi vessel vanished along with its fleet of cunning Battlepods, leaving the "bio-ship" behind...

"Zentraedi command ship has completed its... Signal lost, Sir!", she said, then noticed that the "Invid" ship and its fleet was still continuing a direct course towards the SDF-1, "Tha – That 'beast' and its units are still heading this way!"

"We better take precautions ... We do not know what type of 'enemy' this is - I do not think we can arrange this situation diplomatically at all...", the Admiral said and looked over towards Commander Grant and Hayes, "All artillery units shall stand-by for Delta-Strike III, full aggression."

Both Bridge Commanders, Lisa Hayes and Claudia Grant, immediately contacted all units, "To all artillery units...", and gave the orders through.

It only took a few seconds until they received multiple replies, such as, "Destroid battalions standing by! Destroids on defensive positions and ready for Delta-Strike III, full aggression!"

----

Still upside down, Mick, Foxyroxy and the hundred other Valkyries were still floating somewhere high above the SDF-1's hull. At first having his hands motionless on his controls, Mick shook his head a few times. He seemed annoyed, let go of his controls and crossed his arms.

"Darn it! This is getting boring... I wonder what is going on up there? Are they having a party?! And what the heck were those flashes ahead?", he said impatient voice.

FoxyRoxy remained quiet, until she noticed activity within the other veteran squadrons. Looking upwards and around, she spotted several Destroids, turret-cannons and missle-carriers aiming ahead.

"M-Mick?!", she said, pointing upward and straight ahead, "Look! The Destroids have just activated their weapon systems! Can you see the missiles-packs under their hardpoints? They've just blinked white! They're armed!"

"Huh, what's going on now?!", he replied back with a surprised face.

----

The Admiral went back to his seat, sat down and then said in a very loud and deep voice, "FIRE!"

----

Flashes...

A variety of beam-cannons started charging up, then struck in pairs ahead far across the hull of the SDF-1, lighting up the entire deck above the Valkyrie squadrons. Both Mick and FoxyRoxy suddenly shook as the countless numbers of colorful beams, missles and other objects blasted ahead from the Destroids and other artillery units. Several volleys of grouped missles flew so close past them that Mick even had the impression as if the units behind them only wanted to give them a scare. Again and again, beams over beams flashed beyond their sides, ahead towards the beast that was far away. Roars of heavy caliber turrets blasted shots after shots... and just after they heard distant voices along the commlines saying 'cease fire – cease fire', the whole attack seized at once.

As he lowered his arm, all what Mick could say was, "Have they gone nuts!"

Right after the whole event, the voice of Fleet Commander Hayes ordered the fleet to engage the opposing fleet of the gigantic beast. Again, hundreds of thousands of Valkyries blasted ahead at blinding speed, leaving all whole rookie squadrons behind.

""Whoa..."", Rooks' voice said over the commline, ""What a laser show...""

The left screen fuzz shortly, then revealed Major Bronco, ""Bronco here. Aw-right, this is getting a lot more serious than expected. I want my squadrons to stick to my cruising speed. We'll be going in as the second wave – so no big rushin'. Rixler and Genesis? You two will be second-in-command in combat so you two gotta keep an overview over our mates. Commander Vikksdottir, is your team ready to stick with us, over?""

Responding to his question, Commander Vikksdottir appeared on the other screen and replied in her common accent, ""Acknowledged, Major. Lead the way, over.""

""Roger. Ok, all squadrons, remain in formation and stick to my wing. Prime all weapon systems and enter cruise flight II.""

Mick heard tipping and sounds beeping behind him.

His Heads Up Display, short HUD, which was a transparent screen above his main screen ahead started showing many targeting triangles, rectangles, circles and so on. His RW co-pilot took deep breath, then said in her soft voice, "All weapons armed. Like I said before, I will use the head cannon primarily and I will acquire missile targets for you. Firing missiles and the main gun will be your job, ok?"

Mick showed one thumb up and smiled towards her on the screen, "Got it! Are you ready?"

"Ready when you are, Mick.", she replied back. Mick could not see her face well, but it seemed as if she was smiling... The reflection of her helmet-glass cover most of her face...

"Roger!", he said, "then let's get to it!"

Bronco's dark-grey Valkyrie blasted ahead with cruising speed II... followed by the eight rookie squadrons. Mick's left display screen suddenly fuzzed again and then showed the face of one his squadmate, Jester, ""This is suicidal! Why am I here? I was here to fight Zentraedis! And not go on a sight-seeing space tour!"", who sounded really annoyed.

Linking into the channel, one of the female co-pilots whose name was 'Piranja' also sounded angry, ""Yeah! I'm in the mood to kill a few Zen's and not tons of unknown bogies...""

""Heh-heh... At least one person who's on my side..."", Jester replied back.

Mick's right screen also fuzzed, revealing Rooks, ""Well, it looks like we're in for some action, guys... I hope our new 'friends' in the backseat will be kind and will shoot down the bad guys..."

""You bet I will!"", a female voice said behind Rooks, ""And you better believe it!""

Jester smiled, ""Looks like your new friend really means it, Rooks!""

""Oh, shut up and get a life!"", he replied back. Both Jester and Mick started laughing...

----

Back on the bridge...

Several blasts of explosions all around the incoming beast could be seen ahead... and it seemed as if the missile-barrage had no effect. Admiral Gloval turned around to Kim Young.

"What about that report, Officer Young! We'll be needing all we got!"

"Yes sir! I've done a complete check-up of all systems", she said back to him, "I am unable to get the main frontal defenses online. I ordered the repair crews to set up automatic-gatling turrets, Vindicator-class. 87.9 of our defenses are either offline or malfunctioning, sir."

"Don't worry about defense... Have those 'holes' covered up by a few Destroid groups."

"Yes sir. Orders underway", she replied back and started taking care of her orders.

The Admiral started to lean back into his seat, taking a break for a few seconds. He laid his hand on his head and felt a headache coming, """This is not good...""", he thought, """...an unknown enemy... an unstable defense... no Reflex-Cannon to defend ourselves... This is not good at all..."""

He suddenly lifted his head and said, "Commander Grant, please set up a transmission broadcast to all units outside".

"Yes sir...", she replied back...

----

"What the... ?", Mick said as his left screen fuzzed - "Huh?...", Foxy-Roxy added as well. He was already starting to get annoyed by the constant flashing of the screen. Suddenly, the face of Admiral Henry Gloval appeared on their screen. Mick was astonished to see him on his screen.

"Holy – You seein' who I'm seein', Foxy?"

"Yeah..."

""This is Admiral Gloval to all units of the SDF-1. We are about to face an unknown... enemy... The ship you are about to engage is of unknown origin... It's aspects are unknown as well... and we do not why it is here... but never forget what your job is... to defend the SDF-1 and it's civilians against all attackers. This unknown ship is definitely hostile - You shall fight and destroy all those who shall oppose. I wish you all good luck, good hunting and to see all of you return home safely... This is - Admiral and Chief in Command- Henry J. Gloval, end of transmission.""

----

Bridge Command...

As soon as Admiral Gloval ended his trasmission, the sensor arrays started detecting multiple small objects leaving the vicinity of the unknown 'bio-ship', striking ahead aggressively. There were so many that array was not able to give precise data due to the lack of energy allocation.

"Admiral! Multiple objects have just dispatched from the "Invid-Bioship!", Vanessa shouted - her voice immediately caught the attention of the whole bridge deck.

"Objects! How do they look like? Try to scan their profile!", he ordered back to her.

She started typing combinations on her console. Unable to scan their profiles, she answered back, "Sir, there is no chance I will be able to scan them. All I can say is that there at least 7 different types of objects approaching and their sizes vary between the size of Valkyry and Oberth-class."

"That's enough... We require more fighters! Commander Hayes! Have further 9 squadrons ready for combat!", he replied back.

Trying to apply to his orders, Lisa checked the fleet's logistics and gave a short report, "Admiral, I'm afraid we are unable to deploy the requested squadrons within time. Currently, we possess a total of 76 Valkyrie squadrons and another 40 in reserve, but at least 70 of them would require much time for deployment due to the relocation of launching area. Furthermore, they would need a lot more time in loading their armaments before they would be able to deploy from the SDF-1. Orders will be transmitted, but they will definitely not make it on time to support our fleet. I will have Officer Young to additionally order the reserve engineering teams II and IV to concentrate on their deployment areas", Lisa said.

"Make it so...", he replied.

Just as Lisa finished her speech, Claudia decided to remind the Admiral about the status of the carriers, "Sir, the 'Majestica' and the ARMD carriers require more time for the boarding crew as well as the Veritechs due to a false decompression alarm within the ship hangar. Commander DaCowl has informed me that they would dispatch as soon as all Protoculture cell plants are fully charged - Unfortunately, the launch of additional Veritech squadrons would be greatly delayed."

Gloval understood – The squadrons they had currently out in space were the only ones who could respond for now. It would take a lot more time before they could send out another wave of units to defend the SDF-1. Thinking about the major delays of the RDF units, Gloval slowly began fell concerned about the upcoming conflict... This was a situation that requires more military authority.

"Commander Grant, please contact General Li Wong and tell him that this call is urgent."

"Understood, sir..."

----

Space, somewhere between the SDF-1 and the swarms of the incoming beast...

A few minutes passed by as the other veteran and elite Valkyrie squadrons flew ahead of the rookie squadrons. There were thousands of blue-paired stars about five kilometers ahead.

""Whoa..."", Pres' voice said over the commline, ""Unknown enemy of unknown origin?! Man, what a bad mix... Looks like we're gonna be in big trouble..." His words did sound troublesome.

""Yeah"", another voice said, ""and we're right in the deep of it! Looks like as if that lasershow or whatever that was didn't make even a scratch either.""

Just like the rest of rookie squadron, Mick felt nervous than ever as he heard the communication lines of the squadrons far ahead:

""Contact!""

""All units spread out!""

Pause.

""Mov' it Mov' it!

""Husky One to all squadrons, break formation, bogeys are performing full strike! Avoid direct ... What the"", the voice said, ""One of - Crap! I got one my six, how the hell did that thing – Another one is ahead of me ... It - it seems as if the bogeys are opening up their - sides! Require..."

The commline fuzzed so violently that Mick shook slightly surprised from the voice he just heard of. Starting to see hundreds of thousands of small explosions, moving stars along with objects as well as the gigantic mothership far behind, he was now anxious than ever about how it was going to be in a real fight.

""I am UNDER HEAVY FIRE"", another pilot shouted, ""the objects are shooting some kind of projectiles at me... Trying to perform high evasive maneuvers! I'm ... Arrrrg...!""

The communication to his Valkyrie has been cut. Mick could see explosions ahead... fire explosions and unknown purple ones.

""Aw hell!"", Rooks said loudly.

""Ok, squadrons!"", Bronco's voice said over the commline, ""This is a lot serious than expected. I want absolutely all units to stay at the outer rim of the battle and break formation upon aggressive contacts. I don't want to see any heroic stunts or anything alike. Keep your six and those of your squad mates clear at all times! The fighters ahead of us are in big trouble and they'll be counting on us to at least support them with the best we have! Keep your heads focus to the battle! Got that?""

""Roger!"", all rookies replied back.

Already nervous like hell, Mick's hand trembled slightly that even caused the Valkyrie to shake a little, since this situation was already more than just a simulated combat... "Just stay cool – stay sharp... Like Rooks once said", he told himself quietly...

Indeed, things did not seem to be running well at all. The confrontation between both opposing fleets was getting more and more devastating by the minute as several explosions occurred. Flying wildly like a flock of scared bird, the Valkyrie fighters of the veteran squadrons scrambled out with much confusion. There were so many targets that even the best pilots had problems of their own. As the small fleet of 'Valley-Cats' entered the outskirts of the battle, they all started to feel constant shockwaves of violent explosions everywhere as well as missiles, shots and other objects flying by. Up to a certain point, Mick's navigation systems and other displays started to illuminate several lines and other images revealing the paths of friendly, hostile and other objects such as missiles. Again, several dark blue lines stretched across his screen like snakes chasing their prey.

Mick started to hear Foxy-Roxy breathing slightly louder...

"Foxy...Are you ok back there? You sound a bit nervous...", he asked, already sounding nervous himself.

"I'm ... I'm fine...", she replied back, but with such a shaky voice that definitely said that she was full of fear – but then suddenly, noticing coming from the side, she shouted, "Mick, watch out! 3 o'clock!"

Seeing fierce fighting and lots of explosions, one explosion came so close that he was forced to break hard to the right, breaking away from formation as well as the rest of the group. Noticing Mick's sudden reaction, Trovski, a Russian rookie-pilot who also belonged to his squadron, called after Mick as their Valkyrie struck downwards.

Trying to dodge whatever struck by, Mick swung his control stick back and forth as the 'Valley-Cat' dove hard and deep. Looking shortly to the left, a lone Valkyrie appeared on his side. Suddenly, it received numbers of hits by multiple dark-blue lines... Severely sliced and heavily damaged, the Valkyrie floated uncontrollable into one direction... and collided into one of the hostile objects.

Already surprised by what was going on, the situation was starting to become a little bit too hot for Mick, which caused him to slam the controls to the other side and press the throttle all the way ahead. Dashing already into the most dangerous area of the whole battle, he had no chance to turn around as their fighter gained on speed. There was so much action that not even FoxyRoxy had enough time to perform any targeting – and for sure, Mick knew that there was just not any time to do amy targeting. Diving downwards like a rocket, he fought trying to dodge everything that seemed like obstacles heading his way. Dark and deadly as they were, the most common objects seemed to be a mix of beasts and armored hulks, able to shoot deadly dark blue projectiles that shredded practically anything that stood in their way as well as strange purple blobs that exploded with such violence that even caused a dangerous field of tissue-like webs which could dissipated through the armor of Valkyries like pure acid.

Unable to support Mick and FoxyRoxy, the way into the core of the battlezone in deep space was already barricaded by the hordes of beasts and the fleets of Veritech fighters trying to eliminate each other. Having the chance of having the first shot, several 'Valley-Cats' managed to target multiple targets to launch a volley of flexible missiles. Although they were not in such desperate trouble like Mick and FoxyRoxy were, they did have to perform the same high evasive maneuvers.

"Targeting bogey at 12 o'clock... almost got him...", Cherry said, the RW co-pilot of Rooks. Fighting to get her finger upon the target box on her holo-pad. The target kept dodging so fast, that she had difficulties. Another factor was the heavy shaking that made the whole job even more difficult, "Rooks, you gotta keep this thing still!", she demanded loudly.

Annoyed trying to several things at the same time, Rooks shouted back, "Man, I'm tryin', but the sucker ahead is really makin' a run for it!"

Unexpectedly, the beast splattered as another 'Valley-Cat' flew past their side at high speed.

""Too slow, you two..."", Jester said cheerfully over the commline, ""Better luck next time, pal!""

""You insane, Jester?!""; Rooks shouted back, ""This ain't no game!""

""You bet it is – It's a big shooting gallery! Heck, my co-pilot ain't that bad as I thought!""

""...Watch what you're sayin', cowboy!"", a female voice snarled shortly.

As several long minutes of the battle went on, there was not even a slight hint in whichever side had the upper hand. Both sides seemed to have equal strengths and massive fleets with massive firepower... As the fight continued, several incidents slowly began to occur... which slowly resolved as serious disadvantages for the rookie squadrons... Unknown to the male pilots of the squadrons, their co-pilots slowly started to suffer under the negative effects of the 'Syndrome'.

Airman Elroy "Monk" Gibbs and his RW co-pilot, Sara "Spades" Mackencie, have just shot down only one of the thousands of flying creatures that wasterrorizing their fleet. Feeling cheerful and slowly feeling confident with their new Valkyrie, Monk flew a curve as he said, "Hey, nice shot, Spades! Make that – WHOA!", he suddenly shouted and barrel-rolled several times. Feeling several projectiles slamming into their Valkyrie, one shard unfortunately struck like a large bullet into the cockpit, penetrating the frontal area, just a few centimeters past Monk's head. Thanks to the density of the cockpit glass, Monk felt lucky that it did not shatter into millions of pieces as the cabin pressure dropped in an instant. Several pieces of glass and the mass of air sucked out of the whole into space as their Veritech flew ahead. Though surprised by the loud alerting sounds of the loss cabin pressure, he still kept himself cool... but it surely was a close call.

"Damn! That was close – Man, we got a few internal damages but we're not down yet...", Monk said and flew another curve. Just as he did a curve, he spotted a group of Valkyries in battleroid mode, which were aiming with their weapons towards the other direction, not even knowing that he was coming in with tremendous speed. Reacting to the situation, Monk pulled his left control to a diagonal position, which caused the whole Valkyrie to transform into guardian mode. Lifting his legs and pushing the pedals as hard as he could, the foot thrusters retro-blasted, just barely braking the whole Veritech before colliding into the other one ahead...

As Monk felt the whole Valkyrie stopping, he was pushed ahead due to the sudden stop... Unfortunately, an unusual amount of a red fluid splashed upon the side of his shoulder, as well as a portion against the frontal section of his cockpit. Surprised by this fluid, he quickly looked down with wide eyes, fearing if he was wounded. Feeling no pain at all, Monk looked sighed with a grief... but then lifted his head, "Oh my god – Spades! Are you ok...?", he called out loudly. He could hear her voice, but it sounded rather strange.

"Spades – Crap, answer me!", he shouted, but had no time to turn his head – The battle around him was too intense to look away from – For sure, any distraction would lead to a fatal end. Trying to find help, he looked around the damage cockpit-glass, trying to spot friendly units to give him cover. Just as he had the chance to look around, he once again spotted blood above his head as well as the malfunctioning holo-images. Again, he heard the voice from his RW co-pilot, but it sounded so unusual that something was definitely not right with her. Taking the second of having no bogey on their tail, Monk immediately pressed the key on his left screen, which activated the screen, which showed the camera image of the co-pilot's seat... "Oh – Oh my...", he said as he stared upon the image.

Having a strange dark blue object, which pierced at least half way through the right side of her chest, the woman coughed several times, trying to breathe for air... The image itself had spots of blood all around and although her HEC suit immediately sealed the object and the resulting hole with the emergency hardening foam, she was still loosing blood at a tremendous rate. Unable to say a word, she constantly coughed blood within her helmet... An image that was so terrifying that Monk shouted several times for her name...

Terrified by the scenario, there was no chance in telling who had the upper hand. Several battleroids fired widely like as if there was no tomorrow. Among the whole chaos, both Mick and FoxyRoxy spotted one beast coming in straight at their Valkyrie. Surprised than ever, Mick had so much fear that he hesitated to pull the trigger. Trying to dodge whatever it was shooting at them, Mick performed several barrel rolls, just barely managing to evade all shots – and yet, the beast was still coming in from them, as if its destiny was to collide into them...

From the middle of nowhere, a single battleroid slipped past their front from below towards the left side of them and as it flew backwards and leveled itself next to their Valkyrie, it hurled a salvo of rounds at the beast that busted its hard shell a few times. Massive fluids and pieces splattered everywhere as Mick caused their fighter to roll towards the right side... Flying straight ahead again, FoxyRoxy looked towards the left and saw the battleroid changing back into fighter mode and as it held its position tight next to theirs, the pilot's voice suddenly spoke, ""Damn it! What are you doing?! Don't be so scarce with that ammo – Just fire, damn it –""...

Although the pilot sounded angry, there was a very short moment of thankfulness, which both Mick and FoxyRoxy felt - but unfortunately, the cockpit, as well as the upper half of their lifesaver's Valkyrie sudden shattered so brutally that it even eradicated all hopes for the sign of any survival. Striking down from high above, one of beasts dashed past their side at blinding speed. For this very moment, Mick felt an urge to revenge what this ruthless beast has just done. Using all his might, he once again slammed the control stick to the left and pulled up as hard as he could, which caused their fighter to follow the beast that was making its flight across the whole battlezone in space. It was the feeling of initiative and anger that made him follow the beast like a mad dog...

"We've gotta get that bastard...!", Mick said as he concentrated on following the beast. FoxyRoxy could not believe her eyes... The action was too much for her. Losing control over herself, she started to feel a sudden pain in her chest inside. Throwing both of her hands to her chest, she tried to scream... but her voice shouted only a silent scream... She fainted, without the chance to warn Mick at all... Looking forward, he could see that the object was heading straight for him. "Holy...! Hold on!", he shouted and engaged Gerwalk mode. Pushing both pedals and pulling his throttle-control as hard as he could, this caused the thrusters of the Valkyrie to blast downwards, making their Valkyrie able to follow the deep dive of the beast ahead. Although the grav-harness was active, he could still feel the G's making him get pressed into his seat.

After performing this unusual stunt, the Valkyrie changed back to fighter mode and flew another sharp curve, still pursuing his incoming enemy. Still behind the rear position of the beast as it flew ahead, dodging and everything within the battle, he clicked open the top button cover with his thumb, having the trigger for missiles ready. Mick was determined not to loose this target at all. Although the beast ahead was not targeted, he flew barrels rolls and fired the main cannon blindly and kept missing - Trying to keep up with his target and dodge other objects was a hard job... The creature ahead of him was fast and it knew that he was behind him. Only one round busted a small area upon the side of the beast, but it still flew away, nonetheless. Again, he held the trigger, releasing a stream of rounds - but then again, the escaping beast dodged them with ease.

"Alright! Let's see if he can dodge missile fire, then!", he shouted towards the back, "I got him right ahead of us - Target that sonuva-gun so we can blast him away!"

Mick was behind his target, constantly trying to compensate each evasive movement it made. As seconds went by during this cunning hunt, he noticed that the "missile target triangular" or any other targeting symbol on his HUD was still not moving towards his target. He kept on his target's tail...

"Com' on, Foxy!", he shouted again. "What are you waiting for?!"

He did not receive any answer...

Mick quickly activated his left display to see FoxyRoxy. After a very short fuzz, Mick could see her head lying on her shoulders, being shaken back and forth slightly by the flight movements - then he noticed her harsh breathing. For sure, something was not right with her.

"F-Foxy! Are you OK! Can you hear me?", he shouted out loud. She did not react to his voice...

He looked forward again and saw that his target was about to get away... For sure, without a RW co-pilot, he would be in rather bad situation if he were to continue the fight. As if time stopped for the very moment, Bronco's words about the responsibility on the safety of his co-pilot went through his mind in an instant... Fear struck him as he expected the worse that could happen.

"There's no way I can continue this fight without you.", he said, "I'm not gonna stay out here in this madness! I'm heading back!", He made a sharp break-away, letting his target survive and escape.

""Major Bronco – Come in, sir!"", he shouted over the commline, ""My RW is down! Can't tell if she's alright"", he said over commline. ""Looks like she'll be needing medical help! As far as I can see, I don't think I'll be able to shoot anything out here without her!""

""Soldier! You better get moving!", his squadron commander shouted back, "Get out of there! You've got two of those things hot on your six!""

"What the... ?!", Mick shouted and suddenly heard "pling-plongs" - along with slamming sounds and shaking that rumbled throughout their whole 'Valley-Cat'. Displays showed several areas of his Valkyrie damaged - "Aw crap!" Doing the best he could, he jammed the stick several times back and forth, trying to dodge blindly – but this time, he did not have that much luck. Hearing several parts from their hull being torn off like paper, he really started to get worried. Feeling slightly lucky that his Valkyrie had a dual armor layer, it could have been worse, he thought, almost the same dreaded destruction could have happened to him if he were in a standard VF-1... A number of fierce barrel rolls and tight curve maneuvers were needed until his tail was freed by backup-fire from Major Bronco and two other Valkyries.

"Whoa... Thanks, Major!", Mick said thankfully.

""Be careful, Mick"", Vikksdottir's voice said, as she appeared upon his screen, ""You're evasive flying made it nearly impossible for us to have a clean shot on your pursuers!""

""Don't worry about his flyin', we'll leave it for debriefing"", Bronco added, already responding to the several requests for a full retreat from his wingmates as well as from Lt.Cmdr. Vikksdottir, Bronco immediately called out to all within the rookie squadron, ""To all units under my wing - Disengage! We'll have to leave this battle! Bridge Command is going to send in heavy support for our retreat! Return to the SDF-1 immediately, over!""

""You got it, SIR!"", Mick confirmed - not letting him get that order twice- He immediately pushed the throttle at its maximum. Even though their 'Valley-Cat' was rather heavily damaged, it still responded to his controls and for sure he did not want to give another opportunity for the enemy.

"Don't worry Foxy! I'll get you back to the SDF-1! Just hold on!"

""Cherry to Monk – Cherry to Monk!"", a female voice requested, ""Monk! Is Spades alright?! Over!"", she shouted, feeling very concerned about her health.

""C – Crap, got no idea! S – she's not responding, I can't see how she's doing...!"", Monk replied with a confused voice, sounding as if he really was under great stress, ""I – I got blood everywhere over me and I got no idea how we got this cockpit leak! Damn it – Sp – Spades"" , he repeated again and again... When he paused, he heard only a very weak sigh... then nothing.

""Just hang tight, Monk!"", Pres shouted back, ""We'll try to get you out of there as soon as possible, just hang tight and keep cool!""

""D – Damn it, you kiddin' me?!"", Monk yelled back at him, ""God damn it – Blood is... everywhere..."", his voice suddenly calmed down – and something told Mick that he was loosing control of himself. Attempting to keep him cool, Mick tried starting a conversation, at least to keep him distracted during the flight back from the worse that might have happened. Again, several beams and shots strife along their sides as waves of missiles flashed ahead. Feeling rather lost in the battle, Mick felt that the odds did not seem very great for the RDF, but they were still putting up a tough fight – That was at least his conclusion just from a few minutes in combat...

Although the rookie squadron suffered only minimal losses of units, they managed to withdraw without much trouble. Several pilots had almost the same problem with their co-pilot... They either fell into unconsciousness or panicked due to unknown reasons. After several minutes of high-speed flight, it did not take long until Mick received the docking bay information from the Flight-Deck-Personnel of Bridge Command. As he looked around, he spotted several red Valkyries, each carrying two very large and bulky missiles upon their sides. Although they were too far away, he did managed to recognize a red star upon the side of cockpit, instead of a RDF symbol... Mick had no idea what these Valkyrie were up to, but he guessed that they belonged to the "heavy support" Bronco spoke about a while ago.

Flying a curve high above the hull of the gigantic battlefortress, the whole group approached the designated docking bay. Just barely managing to land upon the same Veritech bay he launched from nearly half an hour ago, he was lucky that the bay's anti-mag rails, which accompanied the normal magnetic rails, slowed his high-speed landing down. Finally out of danger, his Valkyrie lowered its gears, as it was slowly brought towards the area to disembark. Just the looks of the Valkyries within the area gave Mick the intention that the RDF really had no idea of the enemy's strength, nor its superior force of its units. There were hundreds of mechanics and medics running all along the area... and certainly, this was an emergency. As their Valkyrie settled down, he fought trying to get his seatbelts and shoulder harnesses off, feeling very worried about FoxyRoxy.

----


	6. Chapter 5 One impact and a lot of troubl...

----Chapter 5 ---- "One impact and a lot of trouble..."

Responding to the reinforcement requests of the defending fleet, a group of three heavily armed Valkyrie squadrons flew ahead as fast as they could. Armed with significantly large missiles and colored just as red as its national heritage, it was clear that this flight group belonged to the Chinese Air Force. Among a certain communication line, the flight commander with a Chinese accent called out, ""This is Commander Co Ling Cho of the 1st Dynasty Guardian Force – 'Shilong Phoenix'. The RDF has notified us that the deployed forces require heavy fire support. My squadron and two additional ones under my command have managed to deploy ahead of time. Can anybody give a situation report of the current battle, Ling Cho - over?""

After several seconds an American voice replied. Although sounding as if he were under terrible stress, there was a sign of thankfulness within his voice that gave him hope, ""Hoo boy – Am I'm glad to some good news, Commander! Sorry for the delay, but –"", there was an interruption in the transmission, ""- Crap, just lost another three from my squadron! Sergeant 1st class Peerson here - I lost contact our own flight commander and there ain't no chance tellin' where he is, sir! All I can say for a SitRep is that we have suffered losses throughout all squads and that the enemy is slowly gaining the upper hand – Dang, actually, we are in need for heavy reinforcements – But with all needed respect, sir, why are three Chinese battle squadrons responding to a RDF situation? Over!""

""Have confidence, young pilot"", Commander Ling Cho replied, ""The RDF is doing its best to deploy more squadrons, but they have trouble even trying to send out single units. Calling out in distress, the RDF has proclaimed the state of alert to the next level and has informed several Generals of other nations onboard the SDF-1, including my own superior leader, General Wong, about this threatening situation. Following the orders of our General, my wing was currently stationed onboard one of the four ARMD carriers and was ordered to support the RDF fleet immediately. Although we can assure you that the Chinese Dynasty would never interfere with matters of the RDF, our General was very concerned about the current situation and accepted Admiral Gloval's request for help"".

Another Chinese voice spoke into the commline, ""Kai jin! Ni lo pun ta ho!""

""Dam-ho"", Commander Ling Cho said back to the voice, perhaps meaning 'thank you' or 'understood'... At least that was what Peerson thought, ""Sergeant, please inform all units in the battlezone that my squadrons are about to unleash our Lao-Missiles upon the area. Our missiles are set to a high nuclear level in order to suppress the vast numbers of these biological enemies – in hope that these creatures are vulnerable against it. Stay clear of the missiles. Both Veritech hull and HEC suits are highly resistant against nuclear radiation but it is for your own safety not to be near any explosions. Order all units to disengage from the area - Missiles will be launched in ten minutes, so be prepared – Over!""

""Roger, will do – Nuke 'em high, Commander! Over and out!""

----

As the intense battle took its place, several heavily damaged units already made it back to the active Veritech hangar bays. The whole area was in full chaos since many Valkyries returned severely damaged - most of them seemed as if they just barely made it to land. Some even had destroyed wings, shattered cockpit-glass or even burned up turbines.

But during this moment, there was something more important then staring upon the others. As Mick finally managed to unstrap his helmet, he dropped towards his side and hasted to stand up as the cockpit's canopy opened itself Mick. As he stood up and tried to climb over the cockpit consoles of his RW co-pilot, he felt very worried as he saw her lying calm with her head to the side. The feeling was so intense that his hands shook as he tried to climb over. Several groups of medics and other deck operatives were on their way to his Valkyrie group, but he insisted to her check out before.

More worried he finally made it to climb over to the bulky backseat, filled with thin glass console-touchpads. Trying not to hurt her, he sat down slightly on her lap, with her legs between his. It was pretty uncomfortable with his suit and the pads over his head, but he was just too desperate and concerned about her health. It took a few seconds until Mick's trembling fingers finally found the detachment mechanism to remove her helmet.

"Oh com' on!", he said several times trying to get her helmet off. At last, he pulled it off along with a gush of pressured air leaving the suits enviroment – with slight power that nearly made him loose his balance towards the back. Catching his balance again, he managed to lean forward. Astonished at first, he seemed stunned as if he was looking at a ghost. It was the first time for him to see her true face, since the blue glass cover of the helmet did not show much of her all. FoxyRoxy's red hair slipped gently down as her head slowly moved towards her right shoulder.

Her beautiful innocent face was full of sweat that shined in the soft lights of the bay. """She is... beautiful... """ – the only thought that flew threw his confused mind. It was not that he had never seen a woman, despite such beauty in his eyes, but he never realized that his very first job as a pilot of the RDF would bring him such responsibility. Although she was still breathing hard, she did start to become conscious and slowly opened her blue eyes - seeing everything unfocused and double.

"H-Hey... Foxy... Are – Are you ok?", was all he could ask.

"... _Mick_...", she said in a low voice.

For a second, Mick felt so relieved that he even hugged her, "T-Thank goodness, you're alive... I thought I lost you..."

Mick was still hugging her, he did not know why - for a short moment, she felt that she was in pure safeness... Slowly remembering what has happened... she said, "_I ... tried to fight against it_... "

"Against what?...", Mick asked, as he let go of her, "Those bugs? Don't worry about that– ' were lucky that we survived. I'm just happy to see you ok... but enough talking... Foxy... stay calm... and don't move a muscle, looks like the red cross guys are coming ..."

Her head laid calm on the back against the seat which really made him worry about her health, "I-I'm sorry I couldn't do any better, Mick..."

Looking down at her, he felt more than overwhelmed about her soft apology toward him, as if she had done total failure. Without thinking, he laid his hand gently against her face and said, "How could I dare to let you apologize for something that was not your fault? Its my fault and I should be the one apologizing for bringing us in such danger..." Her face remained at first surprised, but then she lost consciousness, as if she fell into sleep.

At last, they finally reached his and the other group of Valkyries. It took a few moments until Mick managed to climb out of the cockpit as they slowly carried FoxyRoxy down from an elevated platform. Feeling as if his legs were made out of jelly, they shook each time he took a short step downwards.

Pvt. Roxanne Keldon was immediately carried away and the medics carried her away, Mick heard one of them say, "Her lifesigns are stable – We need to bring her and the rest to the district hospital in the Prelodae District asap".

Left behind in the chaos of the gigantic hall of the hangar bay, Mick's eyes followed the group making their way through, carrying his co-pilot and many other people away. He remained still, right next to his damaged Valkyrie, his mind filled with mixed feelings about a person who was actually a stranger for him – but then again, she gave the impression as if she knew him her life long...

For sure, every single person he saw around him were under full stress as the loud noise around and voices hauled through the whole area. Hundreds of medics, engineers and mechanics ran around, treating pilots and using other vehicles to pull damaged Valkyries away into the repair bays.

What a day...

He had no idea what he was supposed to do next. His squadmates were still busy. Looking at his Valkyrie, he observed his his "newly purchased" VF-1D 'Valley-Cat'. Battered up as it was, there was no doubt that this fighter went through heavy punishment... right on its first combat flight. For a few moments, he thought back, trying to remember what happened - especially right after his RW co-pilot dropped out... Mick could not tell when she fainted away since it happened from one moment to another.

As he thought back, he noticed something unusual raging out of side of the right turbine, next to several scratches and deep holes that really made him worry how that turbine could have survived itself. Slowly walking closer towards the large fighter, he spotted this long object stuck like a gigantic knife in the skin of his Valkyrie. """Must be one of those projectile those thing fired at us...""", he thought and tried to pull it out. It took him quite some strength to pull out the object. Examining this long object, he said towards himself, "... nearly one meter long... sharp... very hard... It did quite a damage...", looking at the damage it made... through the tough armor of his Valkyrie. Starting to feel strange as he stared at this object, Mick could not move his eyes away from it and he could feel his hand slowly getting weaker and weaker...

All the sudden, Mick was harshly woken up from this strange daydream by a hand that gently slapped against the left side of the hardened shoulder protection, which made him drop the shard on the floor. Turning around, he recognized Rooks, who had a slight smile. There was not any need for an explanation, Rooks was only happy that both of them survived.

"Man... what a flight...", his friend said.

"You bet..."

Mick then saw a group of people running to one of the other Valkyries. The group was carrying jackets and scientific suits, on which stood "RDF- Research Dept". "Must be that research team aw-right...", he said. He did feel slightly insulted by the way how these men and women fought their way past others, showing only interest for the Valkyries and the numbers of objects and splattered fluids upon their hulls. "Look at them", Rooks added, "Must be a gold rush... Maybe they -"

Suddenly, both of them heard the loud shout of a familiar person... Looking at each other, they said, "Monk?!" Immediately ignoring whatever the Research Dept. was doing, both of them moved along quickly – wondering what was going on.

From afar, Mick spotted what was happening. As the Valkyrie ahead just parked... with its damaged cockpit glass covered with a thick fluid. Spotting Monk trying to get his seatbelts off anxiously, he could see that he was covered with a red fluid that had the similiarity with the fear expectation... Blood. Monk was doing the exactly the same as Mick did ago – only that he was under shock and out of control. Mick, Rooks and several other pilots tried to run over to help out, but they still were trying to get past frequently blocked ways of the bay personnel. Monk shouted several times "Spades!", the name of his co-pilot, as he hasted to climb over.

Reaching her finally on her, he threw his helmet towards the back on his seat and tried to take of her's. The surrounding of her cockpit was frightening... blood was everywhere. Looking down slightly, he could not believe his eyes... One of the same sharp objects Mick pulled out of his Valkyrie has penetrated Spade's chest and its end was sticking out as a trail of blood slowly drew a constant line. After taking off her helmet off with the same air pressure settlement, he used his left hand to lift her up slightly and the other behind her head, gently trying to wake her up.

She breathed a few times deeply, but did not open her eyes. "Spades – Please...", Monk said. From her lips to the edge of her chin, strains of blood ran down. He tried to shake her softly again. "Spades –", he repeated, with a soft and worried voice that was giving up on hope.

"_Ngh..._"

After hearing a her voice the last time, her head fell lifelessly upon the side of his arm. Several moments went by again as Mick, Rooks and several other pilots finally circled the elevated platform bringing down both Spades and Monk... Just the looks of both of them were terrifying. Although the whole bay was more than loud enough, everybody remained quiet. One of the medics, who checked the lifesigns of Spades, shook his head a few times. Both pilots were bloody... At a certain case, although it was not Monk's blood, his suit was practically painted by the blood of his co-pilot. Under total shock, Mick was even more worried about Monk – Although he was 'alive', the looks of his bloody-smeared face gave a different impression. He just sat there with his back against the platform's control unit. Covered by a think blanket, Spades' body is carried away. Looking behind, Mick heard one of the medics mention, "...Pilot Gibbs is in need of immediate psychological care!"

Several of the female co-pilots turned their head away or even hid their face in deep sorrow of their male pilots who only could at least hug and cheer them. Everybody knew that battles would bring its casualties – and there was no chance in telling who would be next... but absolutely nobody every expected such a loss to happen in front of their very own eyes. Monk just sat there, looking down on the ground. He was totally lost... Totally lost in his feelings.

Feeling sorry for him, Helios leaned down next to him and laid his hand against his shoulder.

"I ...", Monk suddenly said quietly, still having his head down, "I tried to protect her – It was my respons... but then that – thing just slammed in... I couldn't... do..."

Hearing a cheerful voice suddenly, Mick turned around and saw Jester walking closer, talking to a group of other pilots who did not seem to sad at all – In fact, they did not even know what just happened.

"Yo, Mick! Man, did you see those bugs – Woohoo!", Jester said with a victorious face, "They were tough bastards – but they weren't fast enough for me 'n' Sparrow! Was all wrong about her – She tagged 'em, I banged them."

This was just not the right moment for celebrating victory... especially when you just survived the devastating retreat.

"Hoo baby, we shot down eight – hear me now and believe me later – eight of those bugs!", Jester said again and again. He then showed his hands like to planes following each other, "Man, we came in swooping like this, but I did a triple-S plus a 180° swing. Hell-lucky that I didn't do a different move!"

All the sudden, Mick was suddenly knocked aside as somebody ran against his side, practically bashing him aside since he was caught off-guard. Surprised by the sudden shoulder-tackle, he looked back and saw a bloody and angry-looking Monk swinging his fist right at Jester's face. Surprised just as Mick was, Jester caught the fist at an unlucky spot, which set him flying against the side of the big fighter jet – fortunately managing to catch his balance, although overwhelmed by the sudden attack.

"You god-damn hotshot!", Monk shouted out loud – so loud that even several mechanics around them interrupted what they were doing.

"M-Monk, what the hell –?", Jester said as he looked up. The side of his lip bled as he rubbed the side of his face.

"What the hell do you think this god-damn flying is all about, huh?!", Monk screamed aggressively, "This ain't no game, punk!" The whole group of women stepped back as they were shocked by his rage...

Just before things went out of control, both Mick and another rookie pilot went towards him and pushed him back, right before he attacked Jester once more. Both pushed him back as they grabbed each of Monk's sides – and it took much strength trying to push Monk back who was out of control.

As Mick held him back, Helios, who stood further away, shouted, "You two, get Jester out of here!" Immediately reacting to his shout, two from the group pulled Jester away who was overwhelmed by Monk's reaction.

"Damn it, Monk – Calm down!", Mick shouted a few times as he fought to keep Monk against the side of Valkyrie. Pushing both of them away, Monk stayed where he was. Mick spotted a tear that ran down the side of his face... It was a mix of pain and sorrow that tore his soul...

"You don't know a crap... Jester... You just don't know it...", Monk said several times as he wiped his face, each time smearing blood around. It was said for everybody to see how their friendship just broke in such manor... He was slowly getting back to normal. Making his way through the group of rookie pilots around him, the circle opened a path for him, letting him go his way...

----

Holding their positions in an "X" formation, the "Red-Dragon" Valkyries floated still in space in guardian mode. Just after ordering all units to target individual areas between the SDF-1, the battle zone and the gigantic bio-ship, Commander Ling Cho reported:

""To all units, Laos missiles will be launched soon! Prepare for an intensive shockwave. Engaged friendly units should be assisted as soon as possible! We have altered a few warhead values to super high yield shockwave to receive prompt results, so communications will be down for several hours unless you leave the contaminated areas! Fleet command, do we have confirmation that the majority of our units are out of the red zone?""

Fleet Commander Lisa Hayes' voice was slightly garbled but still understandable, ""Affirmative, Shilong-One. A few are still engaged by a few enemy units but the majority of its fleet is staying within the red zone. Fire immediately, before the enemy reacts! Fleet command, over""

""Gom ji?!"", Commander Ling Cho asked in his language – and received several confirmations.

""Ji-Gah!""

Dozens of very big missiles dispatched from the sides of the "Red-Dragons", leaving a trail of smoke as they flew ahead.

""Lao Missiles on the way – All units, prepare for heavy shockwaves in a few minutes!""

----

A few minutes passed by...

As Mick walked slowly towards the access lift, he felt a strange vibration under his feet that shook several times in irregular intervals. Although the shaking became slightly harder, he continued his path, keeping his eyes out on any mecha wanting to walk by. His mind was somewhere else– again.

----

Rear bridge section...

Seeing far away explosions and bright yellow-orange bubbles expanding wide upon the battle area, it was clear that the Chinese squadrons have deployed their nuclear weapons upon the battle zone. For the moment, the explosions lit up the whole bridge, which was actually still operating in the darkness. Admiral Gloval, who was though not pleased to see such weapon in action, had slight hope. The nuclear radiation was so intense that it totally covered the view to the gigantic bio-ship like a wall pure light. Receiving a recall message, Commander Hayes turned around and reported, "Admiral, Commander Co Ling Cho reports full deployment of their armaments and have confirmed that vast numbers of enemy units have been destroyed due to the intense levels of radiation. Several deployed squadrons have suffered losses during the battle and require reinforcements. A few launching bays of reported that they are operational at average level to deploy Veritechs, too. In order to uphold our lines, I will relocate our fleet to the bow of the SDF-1 in order to re-establish our defensive lines. From what Ling Cho can see, it seems as if the enemy is highly vulnerable upon nuclear radiation and has disengaged from the battle zone as well."

"Area-of-effect is expanding further, Admiral", Vanessa remarked, "Although it will not reach our positon, the array is unable to penetrate the contaminated sector due to its operational status."

Gloval looked straight ahead and took a short look at the remaining bright bubbles of the nuclear explosions slowly expanding. The explosions were so bright that it was impossible to see the gigantic mothership-like object, despite the fact that the beast was totally covered by the mass of pure energy.

"Let's hope he is right...At least we have gained precious time", the Admiral replied... but something disturbed him. Something told him that although the enemy had such power and suffered heavy losses... It was just too easy.

Noticing something, Vanessa Leeds also turned around and said, "Admiral Gloval? There is something about the name...", she said, "... that name of the ship, which the Protoculture Database said... what was that name...?"

Gloval looked to her side and said "... you mean... " - He could not remember the name.

"'Invid Articlatis Maexlaeaa'... is the name, Commander...", Lisa added.

"Yes, that name...", Vanessa explained, "I remember I studied deciphering and decoding the Zentraedi language on Earth... I don't know what "Invid" or "Articlatis" is, but I do know that "Maexlaeaa" is... it means "Exodus"..."

Admiral Gloval leaned back into his seat, "Are you sure?", she nodded, "Hmm, very well... I say we classify the enemy as "Invid" and the enemy ship as "Invid-Exodus"..."

"The squadrons which have returned have had quite many casualties...", Lisa reported further, "The research team suggested that in order to understand the nature of the new enemy, they would need to start decoding and translating the Protoculture Database for the aspects of this object... including receiving any possible materials from them..."

"Hmm... And what about the newly advised special rookie squadrons?", Gloval asked.

"Major Bronco reports that although the RW co-pilots were quite successful throughout the first moments of the battle - as his report says, they have proven that they can be effective when it comes to multiple engagements, even though they are rookies who have never been in such situation. This changed when the RW co-pilots started to show symptoms of the 'Aerospace-Syndrome', making it impossible for them to continue. They suffered minimal losses but he sees that these groups truly are efficient."

"I understand, let the rookies rest, I think they're abilities will be needed it... but until then, they need to recover – Contact Dr. Vanderman, I think it is important to improve their Valkyries at once after the main repairs."

"Yes, Admiral...", she replied.

Just as Gloval gave his orders, the brightness suddenly disappeared, throwing a blanket of darkness over the whole bridge once again. Shocked by the sudden event, several voices shouted – among them many of women. As everybody looked ahead, they spotted the titanic profile of the 'Invid-Exodus' mothership forming itself through the various nuclear bubbles...

Vanessa Leeds, who had a very limited sensor detail, could see that the beast was piercing through the contaminated battle zone as if it were nothing. " Admiral! I'm afraid we have a serious problem! The alien mothership has gained greatly on speed and is proceeding through the hazard fields of the area!"

Looking upon her screen, Gloval spotted the object flying through the area that was full of garbled fields and vast interferences, which represented the fields of the dangerous nuclear emissions. His eyes widened as the vessel punched right through the fields as if it were nothing - which brought him to the immediate conclusion that the bio-ship itself was a lot more resistant against nuclear radiation than expected, even though most of its units have disintegrated. As the gigantic beast charged through the vast fields, waves of nuclear energy whipped along its hull, showing no effect at all.

"Range: 4.3 kilometers and approaching SDF-1 at a very high speed, sir!", Vanessa added.

Officer Kim Young turned around fast, "Hostile ship now in defensive system range, sir! Gunnery station is standing by!"

"Destroids report that their missile artillery units are in position and ready to fire for full strike...", Claudia added to Kim's remark, "Remaining turrets ready to fire!"

"Fire at will! Have all units fire at once! They must stop the ship at all costs!", Gloval shouted, hoping for this last resort.

"Yes sir!", both Claudia and Kim replied and opened channels to the battalions, "To all artillery units... Engage at will! I repeat ! Engage at will!"

A quick reply came back, "That's a roger, Bridge Command!"

Again and again, all missile units unleashed several lethal and deadly barrages ahead, all targeted upon the hostile ship... From the bridge, it was possible to see thousands of lines striking ahead from every possible area of the SDF-1's deck. After a few seconds, they could see various numbers of explosions - practically every missile hit their target... again a few seconds passed by... Claudia used her console to close in on the structure of the "Invid-Exodus".

"...Sir! The missiles were ineffective... Not even minor damage upon its hull", she shouted with an astonished voice. Several shots, beams and other types of weapon systems were fired upon the upcoming menace which already became wider and wider as it came closer... Still pulling streams of nuclear waste upon its hull. A few moments went by as Gloval ordered to continue firing.

"The alien object is 2.2 kilometers away – and is gaining more and more on velocity!" Vanessa added loudly. Admiral Gloval started to sweat... Normally, such weapons would at least tear a large portion of the hull off a large Zentraedi ship... but this time, the target was not Zentraedi. Taking a short thought back, Vanessa started to see something that resembled out of the current situation and a reason that could explain what caused this situation.

"Admiral Gloval!", she said, "I think I know what it is up to..."

The Admiral nodded, showing that she had his full attention.

"Yes - sir, do you remember what the bio-ship tried to do when it came close to the Zentraedi vessel?", she asked.

Officer Sammie Porter's voice spoke, rather quiet, but hearable, "It was trying to 'eat it'", or?"

Both Claudia and Admiral Gloval nodded... but then, Gloval dropped his shoulders, understanding what she was trying to say. Although the beast was not large enough to swallow the SDF-1 whole, it was surely going to do something alike. The situation was critical...

The old man understood now what Vanessa was trying to say, "It can't be..."

"It tried to ... 'swallow' ... the whole Zentraedi vessel... I fear that we might experience the same, although the SDF-1 is just as large as the beast..."

Not wasting another second, Admiral Gloval shouted, "Collision alert throughout all decks! Everybody must be prepared!"

Shocked by the sudden threat, everybody throughout the SDF-1, including the bridge crew immediately broke the silence. Every seat within the bridge was fitted with special seat-belts offering much protection and shock-absorption... but due to the current circumstances, more than half of bridge crew was chaotic, many trying to get themselves to safety. Many bridge operatives ran back and forth and many more bumped into each other due to their panic.

"Officer Porter, divert any free power to the inertial stabilizers – If we are threatened to suffer an impact, we must be assure that we do not suffer from the impact's effect upon us all!"

"Yes, Admiral! Proceeding!", she shouted back...

""Admiral Gloval, sir? Admiral Gloval, come in – Admiral"", Commander Travis' voice called over to the commanding seat of the Admiral. Picking up the cordless communicator, he immediately asked, "Gloval, what is it, Travis?"

""Sir, we got a serious problem – The medics are still unable to get Navigator Lindsay back to consciousness! We are running out of time... With your order, sir, we would 'detach' her aggressively with direct injections!""

"Denied, Commodore – We cannot afford to endanger her health... She is far too important for us to risk her mental health... Secure her seat-belts and try to get everybody and yourselves to safety, that's an order..."

""... Yes, sir!"", Commodore Travis confirmed and ended the transmission.

Standing next to the Navigation Control station with several other medics, Commodore Travis just laid his communicator to the side of his belt. Just as he ended his conversation, one of the medics pulled out a fluid-injection gun and said, "Commodore, I've prepared the injection! If she does not react, we might –"

But Travis rose his hand and interrupted his speech, "Sorry, Doctor, but you shall not proceed with the injection – Admiral's direct order..."

"But – Sir, we need to get –"

"No 'buts', Doc, his order was clear – If we endanger her health, we might be stuck in space forever without anybody able to control the SDF-1... Strap her seat-belts and shoulder-harnesses on and get yourselves also somewhere put!"

Although the medics were not agreed with Gloval's order, they still did as Travis said and quickly strapped Lindsay with her seat-belts. She did not move at all...

Back at the rear section, Vanessa shouted, "Incoming vessel has bypassed the 2 kilometer perimeter!"

"To all mobile units onboard the deck of the SDF-1!", Bridge Commander Grant broadcasted, "Impact is imminent! I repeat - impact is imminent! Fortify yourselves immediately and engage total foothold!"

"Available power is being allocated to the inertial stabilizer generators now – The fields though are unstable... I cannot assure that they will provide full functionality before the impact, sir!"

----

Life took its normal way in Macross City... Many cars and people moved through the thriving city – having no idea what was going on. Robert was somewhere in the Macross City deck, lying under a civilian vehicle while performing repairs. There was a radio playing music when its volume was suddenly overlaid by a very loud alert sound along with a voice. Surprised by the sudden noise, he bumped his head under the car, slid out and tried to listen to the voice... Hardly understanding what it was saying, he went over to one of the mechanics next to him. While holding his hand on the spot he bumped his head on, he asked, "Hey guys, what on Earth are they screaming?"

The mechanics listened shortly, then one of them replied, "Something about some 'Collision Alert' thing... "

"Yeah, I think I heard that, too", the other one said.

"Collision.......?", Robert asked...

----

Somewhere in the Macross City deck, in one of the RDF Veritech-Marine barracks:

Mick was in his quarters, lying in bed, at first - thinking about his first flight and his first battle. Every single event and moment flew like pictures through his mind – Everything, from holding his cockpit controls to the hundreds of symbols that moved along his screens, but up to a certain point, his mind focused on FoxyRoxy. Ever since he survived to land and bring her back safety, he just could not get her out of his mind. "I hope she is doing fine...", he said to himself.

Mick's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a loud and familiar voice - the same one that woke him up once before his first flight.

""_Attention_!_ Attention_!.."", the female voice said out loud from his room speakers.

"Not YOU again!" Mick shouted out angry and tried to hold his ears.

The female voice spoke further:

""_To all on board the SDF-1_! _COLLISION ALERT_! _I repeat_! _COLLISION ALERT_! _Search the nearest shelter or open area, lay down on the ground and cover your head_! _Avoid closed areas such as construction sites, complexes or any other similar area_ !"" - then it repeated again...

Mick felt relieved at first, not thinking about the words... "Oh thank goodness... I'm not called for another flight...", he grumbled and closed his eyes, ".... Hmpf... stupid collision alert..."

---

The mechanic looked up again and listed to the voice, "Umm... yup, some collision alert thing, or sumthing..."

Robert made a sudden confused-looking face and said, "COLLISION ?!!"

---

Mick's eyes sprang open, surprisingly - and shouting to himself, " ... COLLISION?!!!"

----

"Yup...", the mechanic said and slid again back under the car he was repairing, "Colli...", he paused thought a second, then quickly slid back out, "- Collision ALERT ?!"

"Uh-oh.........", Robert said to himself, feeling as if something was about to happen...

Indeed - All the sudden, an impact occurred... So hard, heavy and violently that it was felt throughout the whole ship. Robert and his fellow mechanics were sent flying a few meters through the workshop. While the other had a hard but obstacle-less landing, Robert was sent sliding towards a car, head first. He slammed his head very hard against it.

Right after slamming his head, a hammer that was lying next to a toolbox on top of the car, landed besides his head, barely missing him...

"Damn, am I lucky.... man did that...", Robert said, but then felt something very hard hitting his head and is knock-out to unconsciousness... The toolbox, unfortunately, also fell down, and landed right on his head...

----

Mick managed to hold on a bar, before he was sent flying throughout his compartment unlike the rest of the loose things in the room.

----

Nearly every person onboard the SDF-1 was caught off-guard. The "Invid-bioship" collided into the frontal region of the battlefortress, swallowing the whole Reflex-Cannon like a snake trying to swallow a prey larger than its own head. Although the impact was only brief and perhaps less than a few seconds, it nonetheless has caused major chaos throughout the whole ship.

----

Alert sounds were everywhere as several minutes went by.

Lying with his back against the corner of his room, Mick was still surprised at what just happened. He rubbed his face as he got up from the floor. A few things like pens and other loose things fell down from him. Recovering from his pain, he said shortly, "I wonder who's responsible for this..." – His legs were a bit shaky as he stood, but he was slowly calming down. Suddenly, the door of Mick's quarter opened. It was Rooks, with some blood on his head.

"Hey, Mick! Are you ok?!", Rooks asked hysterically.

Mick looked back at him for a short second, "I should be the one asking you that question...", he replied back, "Darn it... Can you tell me what the hell that was?!"

"Dunno – Everybody here is running back to the access lift, maybe we should do the same – Pretty bad out there, man... Crashes everywhere", Rooks said back to him and wiped some of the blood from his forehead, "- I think we better check up with Bronco..."

Just as the words "check up" left his lips, something made 'click' in Mick's mind.

"You better go ahead with the others... There is something I have to take of... Don't worry about me, we'll meet up on that deck", Mick said to Rooks, putting on his flight suit.

"Um alright - Fine... but where're you goin'?"

"No time for talkin' - Gotta get someone... See ya up at the deck", Mick said back to him, leaving in hurry.

"Wha...? But where you're...", Mick left the room, heading for the next elevator, "... going?"

----

The Bridge...

Besides a few damaged consoles, many things were thrown ahead. A majority of operatives and officers were slightly wounded due to the fierce impact since they did not make it on time to strap on themselves. Sammie Porter was lying on the floor of the rear bridge section. Her head throbbed as she slowly to open her eyes. As they opened, she recognized Admiral Gloval, without his officer's cap, and two other medics above her. Just as she tried to move, she felt a sudden pain in her shoulder, "Ahh... my shoulder... it hurts.... I can't move my arm... it hurts so much..."

"Sorry about the pain - We've just snapped your shoulder back in, Officer Porter, so it's going to hurt for a while", one of the medics explained, "It looks like you didnt't have much time to fasten your seat belts...", and pulled out an an injection gun filled with a painkiller capsule, "Hold still, I have to give you a shot, it should help against the pain..."

She felt the needle piercing slowly through her shoulder and bit her teeth together, " ...Ouch!", but after a few seconds, the pain started to slowly fade away. The pain was quite a shock but as the painkiller did its work, she started to feel more calm and better.

"I hope you are all right... You did a good job, Officer Porter. If you had not managed to divert sufficient power to all inertial stabilizer generators just on time, we would have suffered a lot more casualties – but next time, please strap your seat-belts when ordered...", Gloval said and helped her up. Asking directly, her commander asked, "Can you return to your station, Officer Porter?"

"... No problem sir, I think I can still carry on...", Sammie said back to him with a slightly painfilled voice - and limped back into her seat, after picking up the holo-image of a certain Valkyrie pilot. Slowly remembering what happened, just a second before she managed to raise the efficiency of the stabilizer to happen the negative physical effect of the collision, she turned her seat towards the direction of the Admiral... Just before she thrown out of her seat since she was not strapped. Sammie nearly flew between Lisa and Claudia...

"Good... good, keep up the work", the Admiral said to both medics and returned to his seat. Gloval himself was fine although the impact was just as worse as the landing they did on the frozen Macross Island. Taking a short look around him, many of the bridge officers were slightly disorientated, but did not have any heavy injuries – Fortunately. Several screens ahead were fuzzing...

As Gloval sat back down upon his seat, he found his officer's cap lying on the floor. Although he felt slightly weary, he was eager not to call any medic. There was just no time for resting now... Right after he fitted the cap upon his head again, he leaned back, saying in his usual deep voice, "Full damage report..."

"Damage report in progress, sir...", Kim replied, as she gained more and more information about the status along with a mainframe of the SDF-1, which revealed many hotspots and other malfunction.

"Sir", Commander Hayes said, as she tried getting her console online, "I am unable to receiving any reports or signals from our units... My console seems to have a few problems...", which kept fuzzing several times. Claudia spoke, while having her hand on her shoulder, "I still have contact to the Destroid Battalions... They say that the bio-ship seems to be stuck on the frontal part of the ship... Several battle groups were either knocked away or totally crushed by the beast's body..."

Sammie spoke, "Admiral, I - I've received a report from all decks... It seems as if we have major casualties throughout the whole civilian population..."

Over a short voice message, one of the flight deck personnel said, ""Sir, we've lost contact to our fleet... We are trying to re-establish the uplink, but it'll take a while – Amosin out""

"Sir, damage report complete... ", Officer Kim Young said, "Macross City deck.. Districts "Habitation Ring North", "Spearhead", "Parisa Square", "Diamond cross" and many others have sustain damage. We have reports of many accidents in the city – Emergency crew and Law-Enforcements are en route to support."

"Sensor Array totally offline, Admiral", Vanessa added, "I cannot tell if the system is heavily damaged, but we would need a maintenance team to check out the secondary radar dish so we can at least regain surveillance and fleet information."

Just as Vanessa ended her speech, Kim looked at a strange image of camera showing a live view of the lower deck under the Macross City Deck, "Sir - The Deck under the Macross City Deck seems to be... raining? From what I can detect, we have a severe water line breach throughout all decks. Seven of our main water lines have suffered heavy damage from the impact, sir. It seems as if the main water lines is pouring heavily into the lower decks... Vital systems throughout the ship such as Life- and Water-Support are still operational, nonetheless. I guess the water is still circulating throughout the ship... Unfortunately, we have totally lost contact to the people in the Under-Deck... We require -"

"Thanks Officer Young, that's enough for now... I will get back to you to check through the rest", the Admiral said, interrupting her report...

Kim Young turned back to her screen, looking a little mad, "Yes sir."

Gloval turned around again and looked towards the front - Kim turned herself to Sammie Porter and whispered, "_I hate it when he does that_!_"_

Sammie leaned over, not really listening to what she just said - instead she whispered back, "_He seems a little bit worried..."_

Kim took a short look towards the side of the Admiral... Indeed, something seem to trouble him...

"_Yes, your're right...", _she whispered and leaned back towards her console.

""_Admiral Gloval_? _This is Commodore Travis_"", Travis' voice said over a commline from Gloval's seat. Gloval pressed a button on his seat and said, "Admiral Gloval here, are you fine, Commodore?"

""_Oh, um – Yes sir, was lucky... But sir, this might be sound strange, but Navigator Lindsay is back to consciousness..._""

Claudia turned her head a bit to the side as she heard the name of Kim's older sister...

"Really?", Gloval asked, "Is she alright?"

""_Yes... and no... Admiral – We're not really sure... Although we were able to remove her from the NavCon station, she seems lost – Somewhat in total confusion, perhaps shock... The medics cannot explain. Physically, she seems to be alright, though. She tried to say something but we can't understand her... Until then, we are forced to remove her from the station, making it impossible to control the SDF-1_""

"Bring her immediately to the sick bay – We must assure that she is alright!"

""_Yes sir – wait - Ok, the medics are taking her away now, she just fainted... Continuing with my duty, Commodore Travis_, _out_""

As a few minutes went by, two hideous persons of bridge looked towards the front at the same time, right through the 'shell' of the bridge, staring upon the beast that has leeched itself upon the frontal area of the SDF-1... Although they only suffered slight pain, they both knew that that was only a small cost for their secret operation... and as they shortly smiled, they knew that everything was running as planned...

----

The Macross City deck consists of various numbers of large districts. The "Sterntaler District" belonged to one of the largest district and lies at the northern border, also known as the "northeastern sector" of SDF-1. The workshop, where Robert works, also lies in this area...

Slowly coming back to himself, Robert woke up with an intense pain upon his forehead – as if he volunteered in running against a wall – head first. The other mechanics stood next to him.

"Hey Rob! Are you alright?", one of them asked.

"Think so...", he said back to them and laid his hand on his head,"... but my head is killing me... Ou- what hit me...?"

Taking a short look to the side, everybody shortly stared at an open red toolbox, with several tools laying in front of it, "Looks like your toolbox landed on your head...", the other one replied back.

"Grr...", Robert grumbled, That's the last time I put so many tools inside..."

The three men started to hear several many ambulance sirens driving past their workshop outside...

"Just give me a sec, guys... ", Robert added, "Gotta recover a bit...", and kept his back leaned against the car.

"Sure, just stay there", one of them said and lifted himself. Taking a short look around, he spotted total chaos in the workshop. Several tools, mechanical parts and other things have been thrown to the floor," - Just look at this mess..."

"Do you think some Zantraedi or how you call 'em did this ?", the other mechanic asked.

"Dunno, but it must have been something really big...", the other man said, "- and heavy..."

-----

Somewhere not far away from the workshop, several civilians were taking care of damages and looking for any injured survivors, since the emergency crews were still on the way. Far to the north was a large group of people near a construction site who noticed many holes upon a wall and in the ground – To their surprise.

"Whoa! Look at that hole!", one of them said.

"Yeah, it's large... but what a weird hole! Look at the shape.... very irregular...", another one said.

"Strange...", the first one said, moving slowly closer to one of the holes, "Hey, aren't these walls made of Hyper, er, Hyper... Y'know, the hardest material ever found...Look there's some fluid on it..."

One of the women came closer and asked, "Can you see something?"

The first one took a closer step forward towards the hole in the wall... "Nah, it's too dark... Wait... I think I can see something! It's... some kind of red shining things..."

"What?!"

The man could hear sounds coming his way... first "blubbing sound"... then three "splat" sound along with the sounds of arrow-shots. Almost too fast for the eye, three rather sharp-looking dark-blue projectiles flew right into him. The man fell down, full of blood...

"Oh my God!", the other man shouted, looking at the terrifying wounded man...

A number of six to seven feet tall snake-like life-forms, with two claw-like arms, started slithering out the holes... Astonished by their looks, he fell to the ground...

"Get OUT OF HERE! GET HELP!!! GET ...", he shouted towards the lady, then received hits from multiple projectiles... She turned away and ran as fast as she could... Screaming, knowing that the pure death was following her. The other civilians saw her coming, crying for help... along with a hoard of unknown creatures behind her...

----

A few minutes have passed by on the bridge...

As the crew was calming down and speculating about the "Invid-Exodus" stuck upon the bow of the SDF-1, Claudia Grant's intercom-telephone rang with an "urgent" tone. The Bridge Officers looked towards her direction, as she lifted the phone from the top.

"_I wonder what that call for...", _Sammie whispered towards Kim.

"Bridge Commander Claudia Grant?"

"..."

"What?! It can't be!" , Claudia said out loud with a surprised face, "WHAT do you mean.... ? ......... YES.... Yes, assistance is on the way!"

"What is it, Claudia?!", the Admiral asked anxiously, "Has an explosion occurred inside the ship?"

Talking into the phone, she demanded the person on her line to repeat his urgent statement and resettled the line on loud speakers... clipping a few buttons up in order to make the transmission loud enough, she also activated the bridge speakers. Many crewmen stopped what they were doing as they heard both voices.

"Line is up... you may speak!"

The other voice spoke:

""_The northern part of Macross City Deck is under attack by unknown lifeforms_! _Many civilians have been killed_! _Pl-Please help_"", the voice sounded out of breath, ""_Send us help_! ... _Oh no_! _One of those things heading straight for me_! ... _AHHHHHH_!!""

The whole bridge crew was astonished.

"Policeman! Come back! ....", Claudia shouted back, but received no answer ... "Policeman! Come back!", but the voice did not reply a single word - Only helpless shouts of other people. Ending the transmission, Claudia laid the phone – Her face was filled with fear...

"A-Admiral", she stuttered, "We – We have a security breach, an intruder situation among the northern districts of the city..."

Gloval suddenly stood up .... "That is what that blasted thing is up to!"

Before he could say another word, Sammie suddenly spoke up, "Good news, Sir! The main Communication Array is back operational again! Receiving more comm-lines numerous requests for support from the entire ship!"

One of the flight deck officers sent over a short voice message, ""Sir! Contact to our fleet has been re-established.... They require immediate assistance as well!""

"I am declaring the status for 'STATE OF EMERGENCY'!", Gloval said out loud, making sure that every person on the bridge can hear him, "I WANT SOLDIER BATTALIONS, ARMORED DIVISIONS, ATTACK AND ANY POSSIBLE DEFENSE GROUP TO HEAD TO THE DECK! ACTIVATE ALL DEFENSIVE FORCES! WE MUST RESCUE THE CIVILIANS AT ALL COSTS!"

"Yes sir! Commencing internal enforcements to respond to the emergency areas!", Commander Grant replied, taking the order with full seriousness. She pressed a few keys and contacted the Command-deck-for-internal-Security, - short the "CDS", which resides right next to the Flight-Deck-Command section just below the main bridge.

This section deals with operation of military units inside the SDF-1. These military units generally consist of soldiers, troops, armored vehicles, -such as tanks, trucks and many more-, medical support, specialist troops, aerial combat vehicles and others. The Bridge usually transmits orders to the CDS, the orders are then sent down to the ground units by operatives using their communication and internal navigation consoles. Each operative is always in contact with their designated team-commander, always advising them with new orders.

SDF-1 Operative Sarah Helena Capricorn was just a 3rd class Deck-Corporal. Although she was low-ranked, she had the same authority to command any troops like any other officers, no matter how highly ranked the soldier may be. She normally stayed in full contact with soldier-squads' commanders. She was quiet and checking her console, when she was surprised und scared by Chief Hendricks, Field Commander.

"Corporal Capricorn!", he said to her out loudly. "The Soldier Battalions have been sent out to engage the enemy! You will in charge of the 423rd Pershing Rifles! Navigate them to the emergency area! Understood?!"

"Y- ye- yes... Chief... ! Sending orders", she replied nervously.

-----

Each district has at least three active fast-reaction army barracks, always ready for combat...

The 423rd Pershing Rifles was a platoon of 144 ground soldiers, trained for field combat. Most of them were former soldiers who survived the Third World War back on Earth. Major Carl Goodings, was at one of these barracks, outside, and standing in front rows of soldiers of the 423rd, in military style. He spoke in a loud voice and as he held a briefing his troops:

"OK GIRLS AND BOYS! LISTEN UP! We've got a tough situation going on at the Sterntaler Sector! The civilians are under attack by unknown forces of alien lifeforms!", he shouted as he walked back and forth in front the rows, "We must rescue and protect them at all costs! Evacuation trucks and other vehicles are on their way there! Your mission is to cover them while they rescue who we can.... We are about to face an unknown enemy... We have neither any information about its numbers, nor its strength... and I don't know if anyone of us will be successful... but never forget, that there are lives to rescue... It is our duty to protect these lives and to eliminate any hostiles! OK SOLDIERS, DO YOU UNDERSTAND YOUR ORDERS ?!"

"YES SIR!", they all shouted.

"GOOD", Major Goodings shouted, "THEN LET'S GET OUR GEAR! WE'VE GOT A JOB TO DO!"

All soldiers ran to a camp nearby, where they received their equipment, such as vests, armor, rifles and so on. Major Goodings was in charge "Squad one", which contained 18 soldiers under his command. Ready for combat, they immediately entered trucks, aircrafts and other vehicles ready to head into the combat. Goodings' squad and a few others started heading their way to the Sterntaler District.

The Major spoke again: "Troops! Listen up, so far seen, the enemy life-forms seem to be projectile-shooting creatures. They are fast, about 6 to 8 feet tall and dangerous... so stay sharp!"

Again, the troops shouted, "Yes Sir!"...

"_One impact and a lot of trouble_...", he said to himself quietly...

----

Somewhere in the Macross City deck...

An empty street... Suddenly, boot-steps could be heard... A young man in a dark blue colored RDF-Veritech pilot suit ran around the corner. It was Mick who on his way to the hospital where FoxyRoxy was supposed to be treated. Having no idea how long he ran, he started slowed down – at the same moment he noticed the chaos in the abandoned around him – including corpses lying around. He was sure that the way these people died was definitely did not happen as the impact occurred – just as he spotted he spotted familiar dark-blue projectiles, 10 to 15 centimeters long, but still similar to the larger ones which have damaged his Valkyrie.

He was close to the hospital and he could feel that trouble was up ahead... He saw a rather destructed police car, which had two policemen inside - both dead. Slowly opening the door, he felt slightly disgusted as he saw the dead men lying in there. Taking a short look down, he spotted a gun and a few clips within the belt of the man. Mick decided to take the handgun and ammunition without making a second thought. He lifted himself again and took a look around, he was sure that some threat was around the area... Just the look of the street filled with dead people was a lot more than alerting – But for sure, his path was filled with dead people and whatever made its was through here was on the same path towards the hospital. For sure, he thought, FoxyRoxy was in great danger...

Continuing his way, he ran another minute until he reached the last corner of a building, which lead to the hospital, "There's the hospital - just dead ahead - what the... ?!", he said, but then threw himself behind another car when he noticed something else ahead... at the entrance of the hospital...

While in cover he looked around the corner and saw two of "creatures" carrying corpses away – Suddenly, one of the corpses, who Mick thought was dead, was not! He kept moving his arm....

"I don't know what those thing are", Mick said, "but I bet my luck that those are the things responsible for these lost lives." He immediately pulled the top part of the gun and then held up it up, aiming the best he could. Taking his chance, Mick shot several times upon both of the creatures, who immediately fell down to the ground, spilling and splattering blue-red fluids from themselves. Mick ran to severely injured man, but just as he got to him, it was too late.

"Too late...", he said and looked towards the hospital...,"Roxanne! Gotta find her!"

Mick ran into the hospital and through the halls... always sharp and ready.... holding his gun ready and aiming always down the hall when he passed each corner.

"""I feel like a cop... Hmm, maybe I should shout and see if anyone shows up...""", he thought...

"IS ANYBODY HERE ?!!! HELLOOOO ??!!!!", he shouted out loudly. ".... ANYBODY???!!", he repeated twice... then calmed down his voice... "Anybody???" - as he turned around he noticed a sound

"... What the...."

Nearly 23 meters away from of him stood a four-legged creature with blood all over it's face... if you can call it "face".

"Hoo boy.... bad idea... ", he said, aimed his gun at the creature and pulled the trigger a few times. Only One shot was fired but merely did done nothing to the creature. Pulling the trigger, it made a few click sounds - out of ammo...

"Somehow, things like this always gotta happen to me..."

Having no time to reload his gun, he slowly thought it was time for a plan B...

The creature grumbled and showed his teeth - sharp and unstraight.

"Crap, I think it's angry now..."

The beast started to walk towards him. Mick did not waste another second and started running in the other direction down the hall. He could hear the creature running right after him, each step stomping on the floor like an elephant.

"OH SHIT!", he shouted - making a run for it - more likely making a run for his life... Mick ran like hell, throwing and dumping things on the way down the hall, which were no real obstacles for the creature.

"Crap!!!", he shouted again, trying to run faster than he could, but his flight suit was not so flexible, especially with his helmet on his back.Mick was running down the hall, when he saw a large double-door ahead.

While running - and almost out of breath, he said "Damn... I.... bet .... that.... damn ... dooor.... is ...... locked..... with ... my ..... luck...."

Mick reached the door tried to open it, noticed it was locked closed and turned around. The creature was about 70 meters away. Although he could have outran his follower, he was at a dead-end. Mick decided to reload his gun - Accidentally dropping the bullet clip, he got down to his knees, picked it up and reloaded his gun. The creature was now 50 meters away and coming in fast. He aimed his gun at his incoming threat.

Although out of breath, he snarled a remark... "Eat.... lead" and unleashed several shots towards the creature. Mick shot the clip empty... and although he hit his target a few times and noticed it was bleeding – somehow, it was still running at full speed towards him.

The handgun was smoking... and out of ammunition... He lowered his aim...

"Damn it, I'm starting to hate you...", he said to himself ,"but I'm not gonna stay here and let you shred me, you stinking pile of ..." - suddenly, Mick felt a force upon his arm, pulling him through the door "... wha ??!... whoa !"

Two doctors who pulled him in quickly sealed the thick doors again.

"Hey, are you ok?", one of them asked, as they hastly locked up the doors..

"Wow! Thanks guys! You saved my life.... thanks... ", he said to them... thankfully...

They heard a loud SLAM! against the door.... then again... along with a long and loud hauling cry never heard before....

"Now that's one pet I don't want to have... What was that thing and where are we?!"

"We've got no idea what that thing is...", the second doctor said, "It just came here, killed and injured a lot of people...", he rubbed his forehead..., "Right now, we're in the main cafeteria hall right now..."

Mick turned his head while he was still on the ground and noticed that they were not the only ones there. The cafeteria, which was already quite large, was full of beds with patients, medics who were still trying to rescue lives, civilians who had confused faces without hope, and policemen talking to each other...

"You survived in here?", Mick asked, as he was helped up to his feet.

"Yes, we managed to get the patients down here...", the first doctor said. "When that "thing" showed up... we left the door open in order to rescue anyone who makes it here until it found this area. Thanks to this fire-proof door, we're pretty lucky that that beast-thing is not strong enough to get through – Even though it kept trying now and then", he explained as sorrow filled his face, "- No way out now- We're stuck here... a few patients died since we were unable to keep them with the life-supporting systems...", He looked to the right, seeing other medic doing CPR measures to revive a patient.... flatline sound and then looked back to Mick, "... Are you alright, by the way?"

Mick took a deep breath - actually starting to feel better that he was around people...

"I feel fine, just need a - break... normally these suits are light, but they get quite disturbing when you try to run...", Mick said, "Oh - I'm Mick.... Pvt. Mickerson, Veritech pilot of the 40th....'Cascade Knights' Valkyrie squadron...", he smiled shortly, then looked over at one of the patients, which reminded him about something, "... Holy... I nearly forgot! I am looking for someone... a special patient."

"A patient here?", the second one asked, "What's his name?"

"Erm, her, you mean... Her name is Foxy- ... I mean... Roxanne – Kal, no – Keldon, I think", Mick replied back, "She's a Veritech pilot as well and was brought here since she had some kind of health problem during our last flight... We were in the same cockpit."

" I see... let me find out if she's here. We've received many pilots before the recent incidents"

"Ok"...

The 2nd doctor walked away and talked with one of the nurses who were standing nearby. She got out a clipboard list and searched a name. She then pointed somewhere in a particular direction and said something to the doctor. He then nodded and came back to Mick, saying, "She should be right over there", the doctor said, pointing in that direction.

"Thanks, doc!", Mick said, wove and jogged towards that direction.

-----


	7. Chapter 6 The Watch Dog

---- Chapter 6 ---- The Watch Dog

Deep within the consciousness of the SDF-1, the harmonic world once made out of the navigational alien cyber-data of space was no longer in its usual state. All the data, all the beams of light and information flowing around was disrupted by a storm of malfunctioning flashes and other interferences. Small objects that seemed to be entities in space were irregularly displayed, stars or any other paths never stayed where they should be… It was dark… 

_Floating deep within this chaos, the body of Lindsay Young is alone – A young woman wearing the same clothes as in reality, although slightly transparent and blue… Unconsciously surrounded by garbled images. Suddenly, her eyes opened widely as she felt a surge of energy along with a flash upon her - Woken with a shock. Astonished by her surroundings, her eyes moved back and forth like a child lost in the darkness… At first, she breathed loudly several times as she tried to fight against her disorientation…_

"""_Wha – What happened…_?"""_, she gasped several times as her mind said her thought… Starting to calm down, she started to notice strange differences… Why was she breathing_? _There was no need for it. Stopping her breathing immediately – She did not feel the urge for oxygen at all, despite the fact there it did not exist here. She looked upon her hands, which were glowing slightly in blue. Lindsay was still within the consciousness of the SDF-1 – but nothing was the same. Her mind was lost in a world of confusion… and there was a large gap between her previous memories and now – Somewhat amnesia…_

Looking around herself, she only spotted the data in disorder and chaos. For now, her orientation was beyond control. She tried to rub her face, her own skin… but she felt absolutely nothing – purely nothing, as if she were a ghost. Trying to keep calm, she stretched her arms and legs out slightly, closed her eyes and slowly concentrated…

"""_Interface…Logout…_""",_ her mind said. _"""_Interface_… _Logout_""", _her mind repeated again…_

_Opening her eyes again, she noticed that she was still within this virtual world of the SDF-1's consciousness… Although she was not able to sense its presence at all. Looking around, she started to notice that her true breathing and the distant sounds of her heartbeat were gone… Only the hollow and faint noise of useless signals and her thoughts made noise. _

_A faint picture of her memory shortly appeared, although unclear and weak – She remembered the Reflex-Cannon of the SDF-1 overcharged and ready to fire… but then, she felt another surge of energy along with the same flash that woke her up that shocked her whole body – It was pain that attacked her whole body at once._

_She woke up again in astonishment suddenly… Again in the world of chaos… Still transparent and lost…_

_Whatever happened to her just now, she must have just had experienced the strange phenomenon of 'after-dejá-vu' – which usually happens when being far too long within the system. Having no heartbeat… No breathing, she feared that she was dead… But then again, she was still alive… somewhere deep within the SDF-1's consciousness… _

Lindsay started to feel worried about her younger sister – If she was alright… 

----

Main district hospital of the "Prelodae District"... Cafeteria. Many beds with patients stood every as doctors, nurses and other people tried to do their best to treat them. The cafeteria it self was a very large hall that had surely had the same space like a hangar. Practically every single vacant space was used to support anybody who needed treatment. Among the large group of people, a young man in a Veritech flight suit jogged past these active areas... Looking around for a special person.

"""This suit surely is getting heavy...""", he thought, """Man.... I should..."""

Mick's thoughts went cut as he spotted Roxanne Keldon in front of him. She seemed to be all right, sitting up on her bed, still with patient clothes on, thin cables connected to her body and a monitor showing a line going up and down, making beep sounds.

"ROXY…!", was all Mick could say. His voice was so loud that he accidentally gained attention of others around him – "…oops".

She looked up surprised... "Mick?! You're here?! You're REALLY here?!", her eyes filled up with tears. The beep sound started to beep a little faster...

Overwhelmed to see her at good health, he immediately went over towards her and hugged her.

"Whew... I thought I lost you... What happened to you? You were first ok, then you started to panic... and next thing I was forced to fly through all the shooting around... Just to get you to a medic...."

"Mick...?", the smile on her face slowly disappeared as she dropped her shoulders, "Haven't you ever heard of 'PAS-Neuralis' ...?", she asked with a soft voice.

"Pass – what? Nah - never heard of that...", he said - sure that he never heard of such name, "What is it? Sounds like a sickness or something?"

"No... not really...", she said back to him, "...Well, it is a type of 'sickness' which only female pilots have..."

Mick made a surprised face, "Erm...Only women?"

"Yes... Looks like as soon we get into space, we start to suffer our deepest fear", she replied and looked away... with tears in her eyes, "We just start to panic... and start losing control of ourselves.... lose orientation...", FoxyRoxy was unable to stop her tears from running... She started to cry, feeling guilty. She tried to fight against her guilty feeling, but it was unstoppable.

Mick felt sorry for her and laid his hand softly against her face and turned it to his. She looked at him straight into the eyes with tears...

"It's ok...."

"It was a test-flight...", she said...

"Test-flight? What do you mean?"

She looked downwards and frowned… Mick crossed his arms as he listened carefully to her words:

"Nearly all women who used to fly Valkyries on Earth belong to the new 'Venus Division' – To which I also belong. Ever since that last conflict against the Zentraedi, the RDF suffered heavy losses… It was a pretty tough battle that really raised the necessity for new recruits. Since the need for new pilots was more than urgent and since we lost our abilities in piloting Valkyries in space, the research scientists came up recently with a new solution and ordered us to fly in the backseat of recruits, who understood tactical evasion and basic Veritech controlling while we act as their gunner…"

As Mick thought about her words, the fog of mystery was slowly clearing up.

"…Even though we have flown for several years, we were just as overwhelmed by the battle as all of you were… I guess the 'Syndrome' finally took control of us", She rubbed her eyes, trying to hide her tears.

"Hey, Don't worry about - ", he said to her, trying to cheer her up and came closer until he was next to her.

" I... I am sorry, Mick... I tried to be a good...", she said, again another tear ran down her cheek, "but in combat... I lost my concentration... and brought us in danger... I even had a slight heart-attack... My pulse rate was up to 198 beats per minute... at least that's what the flight-doctor said when he received my suit data. If it weren't for you who brought me back as soon as possible, I would have suffered even worse…"

"Hun-dred Nine-ty eight???!", Mick made an astonished face.

"Yes... It still hurts.... it felt like as if it was about to explode...."

"Just don't worry about it ...", he said again and wiped one of the tears away from her cheek, "I'm just happy to see that you're fine..."

"Thanks Mick...", for some reason, she felt like to kiss him on the cheek as a thanks... She pulled his head a little down and did as she pleased, "... Thanks you..."

Mick blushed, "No problem...", he replied, but as he spoke, he reminded himself about what was going on… "Foxy, listen - I afraid that was not the last flight we had together... .I actually need you again... "

"But... the 'Syndrome'", she said, sounding discouraged, "I'll never manage..."

"No, don't say that... I trust your abilities...", he said - with a sudden confidence in his voice -, "I saw you once at the target training... and I know what you can do. Besides... It looks like our flight will be more a ground combat thing on top of the outer hull of the SDF-1... Somebody from the compound said that that  
'bio-whatever ship thing' rammed itself into the SDF-1 - clinging onto the front part of the ship and now sent in a horde of those... bugs! The whole street here was demolished by some dog-lookin' beast and I was just lucky that I those doctors over there opened up the door."

".... You trust my skills?", FoxyRoxy asked, still with tears in her eyes. Mick felt strange as he stared upon this beautiful being whose career was a lot more striving than the last hour. Her red hair covered the side of her face she lifted it up again.

"Yes", he replied and wiped the tears out of her eyes "... I do... I trust them fully..."

His words gave her so much hope that she was unable to stop the flow of tears, "... Thank you Mick... If I could just stop crying... I am so happy.... to be here with you...."

"Don't worry... Roxy....", he replied back to her and thought a little... looking towards the sealed doors that were constantly being slammed by the beast outside in the hall. Taking a short look around, he spotted a group of men and women who seemed to be from the police – Lightly armed and all in the typical blue police uniform.

"…Don't worry... I gotta get you out of here, if we want to survive... I'm definitely gonna have to stick with the cops around here... and figure a way out. As soon as I find a way out of here, we'll be able to head too that bay and get to our Valkyrie..."

She looked at him - not saying a word... dried tears-lines were still on her cheeks... Although she did not say anything, Mick knew that she worried about him and his words...

Mick got up and walked away, stopped and said, "... I'll return... I promise..."

"No Mick, please don't go...", she said loudly, lifting her hand, "We are safer here…"

"I must... They'll be needing anyone who is willing to fight... and if I want you and the rest to survive... then I must fight. No matter what... I will come back... I promise..."

She knew she could not stop him...

She rose her hand again, "... Mick..."

Her voice caught his attention, as if it were her last words… He stopped

"_Just ... be careful... ok_?"...

He smiled and walked away.

Mick did feel bad about leaving her back, but he was sure she would be all right as he would try to find a solution for their problem. Walking towards the group of policemen who were talking together, while looking on a blueprint of the hospital, he told them that he wished to assist them in clearing up the building and getting the patients back into safety. Although surprised to see a Veritech pilot down here, they accepted his volunteering.

"So what is the plan?", Mick asked.

"Not only that...", one of the policemen said, "This place is running on emergency generators. The whole hospital building lost its contact to the main power supply ever since those things showed up and as far as we know, we've only got about two-and-a-half hours to get it back online before those emergency generators collapse, which would cause all life-supporting systems here of the patients to halt... We'll be needing it to get the communication lines here working, too, so we can call for help..."

One of the doctors next to them spoke up - "Not only that - We've got patients here who need the main power supply and are just barely surviving with the emergency power... so we're under time-pressure... and right now, we are trying to find out how to get through ... Luckily we've got a few blueprints..."

"And few small-arms... flashlights ...and a large group of volunteers...", another policeman added, " -which is great..."

"We gotta watch out for that four legged thing... It's pretty strong and quite bullet proof... Very tough skin.... It cost me several good men and women… Firepower is not the only thing that will save from that thing."

"Hmm, could I have a look on the blueprint....", Mick asked. One of the men handed over a large blueprint, laid it on a table next to them and spread it open...

"Well, so far, we've planned to climb through the ventilation systems in order to get to the room where we can relocate ourselves...", the 2nd policeman explained, "Over here", and pointed upon the blueprint, "... and here is where we need to go", and again pointed upon the basement area.

Another person spoke, "There's also another problem…", and laid his finger upon the 3rd floor, the before-last floor of the building, "A few patients are caught in this room, too... We'll have to get them out first since one of them knows how to get the power back running. So far though, they should be fine. We still got a few of our men up there, too."

"Nevertheless, that thing out there the main problem, right? What do we have to defend ourselves?", Mick asked...

The 2nd policeman held up his sub-machine gun and said, "We've got a few standards - 9mm MP5D sub-machine gun like this one here... enough ammo - 2 PSG-1 sniper rifles... Several shotguns... and a few concussion grenades... walkie-talkies..."

"How did you guys manage to get all that stuff...?"

"Actually, we were called to head out to check out what was going on", he replied.

"We were called to bring some equipment, since there was a threat going on - until we came past this hospital - ... We've managed to gun down a few of those things...", he shook his head, " - but we're caught here now. It was already too late to call for any heavy enforcement units. As that beast was still makin' trouble somewhere else, we carried in all the things we could just before it came back…"

"That makes sense...", Mick said quietly...

"Are you sure you want to stay with that gun?", another policeman asked, pointing at Mick's right hand. Mick looked down and noticed he still had the handgun that was stuck in his suit pocket.

"Um, well", Mick said and looked up again, "I rather have one of those you have - sure I'll be needing it"

The 1st policeman handed him one of the sub-machine guns over and showed him the basic things he should know about, like how to reload it and how to safe and unsafe the gun. Mick also received several clips, including some for his found handgun, along with 2 concussion flash-bang grenades.

"Well then", Mick said and loaded his sub-machine gun, "I'm ready - shall we head out and take care of business", sounding self-trusting in a smart manor.

"Erm, we're not going to head out yet. Many of us need some rest… aren't you tired or hungry?", the man replied back

"Oh!", the rookie pilot said and felt embarrassed, "… Yeah… Now that you've mentioned it, I haven't ate or slept at all…"

"Get some rest and eat something, Mick", the policeman said, " - by the way, you can call me Sanjacobs. We'll get to you when it is time. Can't get to combat with an angry stomach, eh?"

"Man, can this guy read my mind?", Mick thought.

"Yeah, ok…", he nodded his head positively, "Get to me when it's time… See you guys later…" and strapped his SMG on his back. Mick looked around and spotted a waiting-line at the cafeteria. He then went back to FoxyRoxy after he got his tray of food.

FoxyRoxy looked over to him, surprised, but happy, "Mick?! You're back?", she said light-heartened.

"Um, yeah…", he replied back, "They're not ready for combat yet… Some are tired… some are hungry and tired…. Some are both… like I am", and smiled back at her.

"Well then, soldier-boy… sit down", the young woman said back to him and moved towards the edge of the bed, patting her hand a few times on the bed and showing Mick where he could sit down.

Mick sat next to her, on her bed and started to eat.

"Mmhh, man... I haven't eaten in a million years...", he said with his mouth half-full.

Roxanne's facial expression went from a smile to a sorrow face...

"I still feel terrible what happened…", she said, "Was I the only one who fell into panic…?"

Mick stopped eating, as he thought about her question.

"Can't really tell you – 's far as I know, everybody suffered something… but I'm afraid your squadron suffered a terrible loss. 'Spades' was killed in action… One of those alien projectiles got her…"

Looking at her in the face, she seemed frightened – and somewhat shocked.

"""Way-to-go, you idiot""", Mick's thoughts said to himself – but reacting just on time, Mick immediately laid his tray of food aside and hugged FoxyRoxy, who suddenly cried about Spades… Unfortunately, they must have stood very close together…

Looking away as he held the crying woman, he thought about the others of the squadron, hoping that they were doing fine…

----

Not even knowing what was going on, a heavy conflict on top of the SDF-1 was in outrage. The battle was ferocious and it seemed as if there was no end to it. Many Valkyries were forced to stay on the deck hull in Battleroid mode and to assist other combat units. Patch fields of turrets, missile launchers and beam cannons fired without pause as they filled the permanent night sky of space with action and destruction…

Somewhere else upon the deck of the SDF-1, a red VF-1A 'Red-Dragon' flew high above the hull as it received an urgent distress call from a Destroid not far away:

""Hel – Help! Require immediate assistance –'Monster' is compromised! Lost all Spartan defenders! Destroid Commander and Gunner are down – I'm the only one alive! This – thing nailed me down and I can't fire!""

Looking down upon the deck, the Chinese pilot spotted a Destroid "Monster" being tackled by one of the many large creatures of the beast. Everybody knew that a "Monster" was a slow and heavy long-range artillery unit – and a sitting duck in close combat. Unable to do anything against its oppressor, the creature, whose size equaled the Destroid, swung its thick-armored 'arm' like a fist, crushing three of it's four 406mm cannons like nothing… Several rounds of its heavy ammunition, debris and other parts busted from the side as the beast slammed its arm a few times against the torso and head of the Destroid. Lying helplessly on the ground, the Destroid had no chance but to remain with its back upon the deck.

Although his direct orders was to retreat immediately from battle since 'Red-Dragons' were not made for close combat, the Chinese pilot knew that the remaining pilot of the "Monster" would not stand a chance. Immediately changing into guardian mode, the red Valkyrie flew a very dangerous curve as it tried to slow down. Achieving the beast as its target, the Valkyrie planted its feet upon the deck, having a free line of sight and securing itself for the major blast feedback. Firing simultaneously, all four barrels recoiled towards the back as they launched four heavy caliber bolts ahead…

Brutally pushed away by the shots, the body of the creature was powerfully tossed off its feet, flying uncontrollably away into space. Large portions of smoke and fire covered the beast as it hovered away from the hull and disappeared behind the edge towards a lower area of the SDF-1's deck. Lying heavily damaged upon the deck, the Destroid was neither able to stand up, nor to restart its vernier thrusters. Four very large empty shells ejected at the same time as the quad barrels of the red Valkyrie reloaded.

""Destroid pilot!"", the Chinese pilot called out with a Chinese accent, ""Are you at good health?""

After a few seconds, the Chinese pilot spotted the emergency hatch of the Destroid opening as a crystalline cloud of air froze into space, along with a man in a HEC suit climbing out. Slowly jumping down, he hid behind his downed hulk and the parts of its shredded hull.

""Thanks! You saved me just on time – I owe you one!"", the survivor replied over the slightly disrupted commline. Noticing several incoming signals, the Chinese pilot spotted a several small swarm of creatures coming in from a high angle, definitely ready for an attack.

""Destroid pilot – Stay under cover!"", he warned the stranded pilot who hid further away, ""We are about to be under attack!""

Trying to evade the incoming rain of the deadly blue projectiles, the red Valkyrie activated all of its hovering systems and maneuvering thrusters and hovered swiftly ahead along the area, trying to find a safe spot. The Chinese pilot had many difficulties trying to dodge due to the heavy and bulky "Gauss Catapult" cannons. For such situation, a Battleroid would surely be more efficient but due to the massive armaments of the "Red-Dragon", it was restricted to fighter and guardian mode only – unless the pilot were to jettison all artillery systems… For which the pilot refused to do. Trying to protect the downed Destroid pilot, he insisted to stay and circle the area, hoping to survive – somehow. Stopping immediately, his Valkyrie took cover as his followers bypassed him from above – They were to fast to respond to his sudden halt. Taking the chance, he aimed the GU-11H cannon-rifle of the Valkyrie at one of the flying creatures and began firing… Although he landed a few hits from this heavy caliber gun pod, he only managed to down one of the many creatures that were trying to pursue him…

Suddenly, unfamiliar Battleroids landed around the red Valkyrie – Surprised by their looks, the holo-images of the cockpit glass revealed the names "'Rooks', 'Cherry' – 'Jester', 'Sparrow' - and 'Wiseguy', 'Piranha'" in Chinese letters…

""Looks like you could need some help, pal"", Jester's voice said over the open commline.

A female voice linked in, ""_Cherry here, we're here to support you – Just keep under cover, over_!""

Doing as they said, both Valkyries of Rooks and Jester leaped ahead, landed and started firing into the active "night-sky" of the SDF-1, trying to shoot down as many creatures as they could. Astonished by their efficiency, the Chinese pilot could not believe how easily they managed to suppress the swarm of attackers – hurling several missiles and rounds of ammunition upon the targets. Despite the numbers of enemies, these unfamiliar Valkyries were definitely turning the tide of this situation – at least they were able to get the enemy on the run for a while.

Standing next to the red Valkyrie, Wiseguy looked around as he tried to keep a lookout for any enemy targets that might try a second attempt. Spotting three enemy objects making a curve upon his screen, he was sure that they were up to something. Sitting just behind him, surrounded by several thin holo-touchpads and other systems, Piranha already noticed the suspicious attempt of the creatures.

"Crap – Looks like were about to get company, Piranha," Wiseguy said as he quickly thought about the next step, "I guess we should –"

Ignoring his upcoming suggestion, Piranha immediately targeted the three objects and started firing with practically every weapon system they had - Streams of rounds, missiles and even shots of the head-cannon was fired upon the creatures, who performed outstanding erratic and evasive maneuvers. She kept all fingers on the trigger as the targets kept dodging…

This was at least the fifth time Piranha fired like a maniac upon targets, for which a chance of landing a hit was pretty low – Regardless of what Wiseguy had to say. Although from time to time, she shot down a few, he wondered if she were a better co-pilot for Jester, who was just as loose as she was.

"Damn it, Piranha", Wiseguy shouted as he saw the ammo of all weapons running low, "– Stop wasting ammo! We ain't got much!"

In fact, the ammunition and available missiles were almost depleted, only one ammo-clip for the cannon-rifle was left and even the numbers and symbols were already blinking red. At the same moment the last missiles were launched, she fortunately shot down all three targets – or at least caused heavy damage upon them.

"What's the big idea!", Wiseguy shouted again, "You insane?!"

"I got them, didn't I?", she replied back with a very arrogant voice.

But then, just as Wiseguy was about to respond back at her, he spotted another flying creature charging from high above – Perhaps one of those that were trying to escape Rooks' and Jester's suppressive fire. Focusing on the incoming target, he took control of the cannon-rifle. The Battleroid immediately took an aiming stance with its rifle… but as it pulled the trigger, only three rounds were fired… then came rapid 'click' sounds. Looking upon the ammo counter, he spotted a blinking red zero stinging in his eyes like a knife. This was not good at all…

He immediately concentrated on his cockpit controls, trying to perform a reload sequence…

The upper part of the cannon-rifle ejected as the automated reloading sequence did its job, but Wiseguy was sure that by the time the last auxiliary ammunition clip would be loaded, they would be dead-meat by then…

""You there! Catch my rifle and use it!"", the voice of the Chinese pilot suddenly shouted. Both pilots looked towards their left as the red Valkyrie tossed its 80mm GU-11H pod, which floated above the hull of there SDF-1, only effected by a minimum from the hull's weak force of gravity. Aborting the reloading sequence, Wiseguy immediately dropped both their cannon-rifle and ammo-clip and then caught the other gun pod. A few dark blue projectiles were fired, but missed them only slightly. At the same moment the Battleroid caught the pod, it immediately recognized its new weapon, recounting the ammunition capacity and aspects in an instant. Using the possibility, Piranha immediately acquired the incoming target, causing the Battleroid to once again to take an aiming stance.

Within seconds, shots were fired after another and as each round fired, thick hollow shells ejected from the side… Fortunately, the beast received critical hits … and floated lifelessly away, passing their heads above.

"What a close call…", Wiseguy said and sighed. Indeed, that beast nearly had them – and if it were not for the Chinese pilot they would be dead by now – for sure. But then all the sudden… Just as he looked over towards the left, the red Valkyrie received heavy fire. Before the pilot could react, his red Valkyrie received several serious hits that made him somewhat unable to escape. A significant number of very large dark blue stuck throughout many areas of the Valkyrie… One of them penetrated the joint of the left leg, another one through the lower area of the right thruster and at least another few caused heavy damage upon the quad cannons, from which two were damaged beyond repair… The left side of the "Red-Dragon" immediately dropped towards the ground due the severely damaged leg. Both pilots were shocked as they suddenly saw the beast that shot the "Red-Dragon" down…

It was the same creature that attacked the Destroid pilot a while ago… Unfortunately, it must have survived the four hits ago… The beast, though showing slight damage, planted its feet upon the hull of the SDF-1. After it landed, it lifted its body slightly, which showed four very large dents in it – some of them still smoking from the explosives of the shots. There was a short pause between both the small group of Battleroids and the beast that was just as tall as they were. Frightened by its appearance, Wiseguy was pretty worried about how they were supposed to take care of this unusual beast, which just returned back into "arena". Taking another look down, he examined the downed red Valkyrie which constantly tried to retain a combat posture, but kept failing since one leg joint had a very large blue projectile stuck right through it and another one that nailed the right "foot" thruster into the hull of the SDF-1. There were many more damages, but he did not have the time to distinguish them has he started to her loud stops… It was the beast, at first walking slow – but as it made each step, it became faster and faster, charging straight ahead at the Battleroid of Wiseguy and Piranha – ignoring the other Battleroids of Jester and Rooks totally. "Holy -!", Wiseguy shouted in despair.

Although they fired with the gunpod, the explosive ammunition had no real effect upon the tough armor of the beast. Wiseguy looked over towards the red Valkyrie whose leg was stuck like in a bear trap.

""Hey, you alright?!"", he shouted, ""Get outta here, now!""

Anxiously replying, the Chinese man said, "" – Primary controls failing, I am unable to move from this position! You better get out of here before the creature is here!""

Wiseguy bit his teeth together as he saw the creature charging straight at them…

""Wiseguy, Piranha - Get yourselves movin', now!"", Rooks shouted over the commline, ""Get that Valk' out of here or you're toast!""

Instead of doing as the others said, Wiseguy gathered all of his courage and pushed his controls ahead – causing the whole Battleroid to charge ahead, straight at the incoming beast…

"Hey, what the hell are you up to?!", Piranha shouted, who was more likely astonished than ever. He ignored her shout as he concentrated on getting themselves between the downed "Red-Dragon" and the running beast.

"_He's insane_…", Sparrow said quietly…

The impact was imminent – but just before the Battleroid was about to bash into the more likely tougher beast, the Battleroid changed into guardian mode and ducked down slightly. Flying the cockpit between the legs of the beast, both wings and body of the Valkyrie knocked the legs of the creature away and over their heads, thanks to the low gravity grip between them and heavier object. Unfortunately, the Valkyrie itself sustained exterior damages as bashed through as well. Just as the Valkyrie stopped somewhere further away, the beast levitated itself until it stood upon its legs again and turned around. Although it only had a head with a strange red eye, it surely gave an expression of anger – and that tricky move Wiseguy did really seemed to have made the creature angrier. Strange for them, the beast was now totally focused upon the Valkyrie of Wiseguy and Piranha, rather than attacking the downed red Valkyrie just several meters ahead. Again, the beast began another approach, walking at first slowly, then gaining speed, and making large steps ahead.

Taking the chance, both co-pilots of Rooks and Jester acquired the incoming beast and started firing streams of rounds upon it, along with a few missiles. Many shots ricochet upon its armor and it even ran through the missiles – constantly bashing through the explosions without any significant damage… Although they kept firing, they slowly began to understand that the weapons they had were ineffective and weak against its rather tough armor. Suddenly jumping upwards, the beast floated high above the hull and aimed downwards as if it wanted to perform a death-from-above attack by trying to land right upon them…

----

Somewhere in the Sterntaler District...

Robert got up when he started to hear loud voices, which sounded like a large group of people screaming. Still with a headache, he looked over to one of the mechanics and asked, "Hey, Frenchie! What's going on out there? That Minmay babe running around out there?"

"Dunno…", the mechanic nicknamed Frenchie replied and looked out of the window, "I don't know… Wait... I can see people running away, some of 'em look bloody", replied back, making a strange face as he observed what was going on outside, "…Looks like they're heading for the next district… man, they're running like hell!"

"What?!", the other mechanic said.

" Yeah…", Frenchie continued, "Hey - What are those things! I see these weird looking thing on tails… um, a large group of 'em…"

"Huh?! What's going on out there - What do you mean with 'things'?!"

"Um, those 'things' look tall, got these weird thick looking shoulders… and um, some kind of red eye… yeah, red eye… and one of them -" , but just as he explained their looks, he spotted one the creatures gaining attention, which immediately made its way towards the shop. Getting away from the window in a hurry, Frenchie shouted, "- IS HEADING THIS WAY!"

The window he was looking out from shattered into several pieces, with one of the snake-like creatures splashing into the workshop. "What the hell is that??!!!", Robert shouted...

"Beats me, but it's got blood on him… ", Frenchie said, grabbing a wrench.

The creature suddenly leaped forward - heading straight for the mechanic before he could manage to swing his wrench. The mechanic received a fatal blow, making him fly backwards through the workshop. The other mechanic tried to charge ahead and attack the creature, but was hopelessly hit by multiple dark-blue dart-looking projectiles fired from its shoulders...

Robert, who was still lying on the ground, was too astonished and still too little weak to get up again. The creature turned itself towards him and started slithering closer towards him, slowly. He could see that its shoulders started to show oval bubbles getting larger with pointy objects inside. But just a second before one of the bubbles bursted, Robert heard a loud shout behind him, coming from the door.

"FIRE!!!", a deep and loud voice shouted.

A loud blaze of firing rifles occurred. The creature was hit so hard and often that it was swung violently through the room. Robert held his ears as he if he was hearing the sounds of several jackhammers…

"CEASE FIRE, CEASE FIRE!!!", the deep voice shouted again.

The sounds of thundering rifles stopped. The creature, lying against the wall with many holes in it, squealed as it tried to get up, but all its limbs were severely shredded. Within a matter of seconds, the red eye of creature began to get darker, until it went black and laid still. Robert, totally astonished, looked to his right and spotted a blue pointy object that has been shot towards him, but just less than a centimeter above his shoulder. He stared at the object that could have killed him...

"Bloody lucky", he said to himself and fell back - relieved.

A group of soldiers came entered workshop. A few of them ran immediately over to him while others checked the other rooms, clearing the surroundings. Robert heard several boot steps and voices saying "clear" – "Yeah, here too"… He looked toward both mechanics, one of them was still moving, but then stopped.

"Frenchie...", he whispered...

Robert heard some of the soldiers saying it was too late for them.

Then, one of the soldiers ask:

"Hey, are you alright? Are you ok?"

Robert's head was throbbing like never before... and before he could answer – he fainted. Deciding to treat him in the truck, the soldiers picked him and carried him outside, taking him out from the bloodbath...

----

Feeling another faint rumble throughout the area, Mick's head lifted itself quickly as he woke up from a short nap. It only took a few seconds until he recognized where he was. He was lying on a comfortable bed, hearing a constant peep-sound and had his arms crossed. Feeling weight upon his right shoulder, he spotted FoxyRoxy lying next to him with her head on his shoulder… She must have been so exhausted that she did not even feel a single thing. Looking away, his thoughts wandered...

"""I wonder how the gang is doing...""", he thought, """This is it… I could get killed on this move…""" – He looked over to FoxyRoxy again, who felt well-sheltered next to him, """… She surely is cute… I must survive… - I just can't drop here now."""

She moved her head slightly.

At the moment Mick lifted his head, the lights of the whole area began to flicker and blink – then went back normal. Not a minute later, a policeman appeared and made a hand movement, showing him that it was time to go. While laying her head gently on her pillow, Mick whispered, " … pleasant dreams…" into her ear...then walked with the policeman to the group of men and women who were ready to move out.

"Hi – So you're Mick, huh? Glad to have you here – I called everybody over because it seems that our those generators are not gonna hold for long - By the way, your suit looks unusual - Are you a pilot or something?", the leading policeman asked him, who was not present at the first meeting.

"I'm actually a Veritech rookie pilot", Mick replied back.

"I understand...", the leader said, then turned around, making attention -

"Ok, It looks like that we're going to have to take care of that thing that is running around through the halls first".

"Um, sir, isn't that thing bulletproof?", one of the volunteers asked - sounding unsure...

"Yeah... but we're just going to have to lure it into it's death. You guys know the top floor with the large window at the end of the hallway? That's how we're going to have to do it..."

Remembering his run for his life, Mick added, "Hmm, our little puppy is quite fast, ugly... but not very smart - As far as I know. It just might work out…"

"We'll see about that ", another policeman said. "Let's climb through the vent over there. If we follow the blueprint, we should be able to get all the way up to the 2nd floor. Good thing they built vent-ladders."

"Ok everybody, let's move", the leading policeman said, waving his hand forward.

The group of 17 armed men and women made their way to ventilation shaft and started to climb through. The shaft was narrow, cold and dark and cost quite a lot of stress while climbing up to the second floor. It took a while until they reached their destination. The 1st policeman, who was at the lead, stopped above a room and looked through the ventilation gate. He kicked the gate down, jumped down to the floor and looked around in all directions, checking his surroundings with his finger ready on the trigger.

He then looked up and said, "Alright, Looks like the coast is clear. You guys can come down now."

All jumped one after another down to the floor. Mick, whose suit was not quite light, had a very hard and painful landing, but he was still ok. The 2nd policeman went to door and checked the hall up and down.

"Ok, now on to that blasted dog thing", the leader said. "This is the plan: The stairway is over there. While one or two people lure the 'dog' up the stairs, a third one has to draw it's attention, so that the others can hide in a room and recover. He must then run on down the next hall and another one must do the same until we get to the top floor. I think that thing is stupid enough to run through the window."

The 2nd policeman just stuck his walkie-talkie away after speaking with someone and said, "... Ok, the people downstairs at the cafeteria said that it's trying to slam the doors again, so we can continue and get into position".

"I'll do the first move", said one of the volunteers and rose his hand.

"...I'll run with you", another volunteer said. "I think we've about the same speed, eh?"

Most of the volunteers raised their hands to do the job. Mick, who was a little unsure about the plan, raised his hand.

"I take care of the last move", the rookie pilot said, feeling slightly nervous...

"It's gonna be a hard one alright", the leader added.

"You gotta let our little puppy run at full speed towards you. Right before he gets to you, you have to dodge him, somehow. But I'm sure you'll make it..."

"""Somehow?!""", Mick thought, """THESE GUYS ARE CRAZY!"""

After a few minutes, everybody got into their positions and confirmed themselves via walkie-talkies. The 1st-floor volunteers saw the "dog" running constantly against the cafeteria door. The 2nd policeman held his radio ready - ready to give the "Go" signal...

-----

Still feeling miserable, Robert woke up a little, but was still under a slight shock. He could hear and see a few armed men around him. One of the men was talking in his headset.

He listened...

"" -Corp.... Yes... We've had contact with the enemy..."", the voice of the man said. "We've rescued one... no... Just him, we came too late for the other two... "

Robert could hear a female voice speaking - probably responding. The voice was coming out a shoulder radio - he could only understand a few words...

""_Head on to the northern...sector 5-charlie-hotel... Civilian evac... requires more back-up_..."", the female voice said...

"Ok we're on our...", the man said... - Robert fainted again.

----

"Ok, you guys... GO!", the 2nd policeman shouted.

Both of the men ran down the stairs and threw two concussion grenades to the "dog".

After two flashes and loud bangs, the "dog" turned around, growling mad . Both started to run back to the stairway and headed upwards - The creature right after them.

The volunteers of the 2nd floor could see both men reaching the 2nd floor and saw them run into one of rooms. The creature then showed up, stopped and started to look for them.

But before it could find their room, one of the other men of the 2nd floor fired a few shots towards the beast, gaining its attention. The beast immediately turned around and straight for them, running like a high-speed train.

The volunteer strapped the SMG on his back while running to the 3rd floor stairway – saying, "Don't look back... Don't look back..."

This volunteer also managed to reach the 3rd floor and to hide safely in a room.

The volunteer of the 3rd floor, who also managed to attract the creature towards him, ran up the 4th floor stairway - Unfortunately, he tripped making the last step of the stairs - losing time to reach a safe room on time. He could hear the "dog" running up the stairs. When the man reached the last floor, he could not open the doors in the hall. Running down the hall, trying to open doors while in panic, the creature also reached the last floor. The man was too nervous and in panic that he did not unsafe his gun. He knew he was cornered, with no chance of escape. He tripped over something that was behind him, landed on his back and crawled backwards.

The beast slowly walked towards him, coming closer and closer.

The volunteer felt a wall behind him. He knew that his death was coming closer. But then, he heard a few shots. The creature turned around. It was Mick, who was holding a smoking sub-machine gun, standing not far away from them, which meant that he was not at his position.

Mick suddenly spoke - actually talking right to the creature - "Hello my friend", he said arrogantly and wove his hand at the creature, "remember **me**?"

He heard the voice of the policeman coming from his walkie-talkie, but he ignored it. The creature turned away from the volunteer and growled a deep and deadly sound, showing its mouth full of deranged and ugly sharp teeth... It's slobber dripping on the floor...

Smiling with a tough face, Mick started teasing the beast, "Oww, I am soooo scared. Come on you stinking little doggy", and threw his gun aside, "Come ON! Come and **GET ME**!", wove his hand, started moving and dancing around, "Come ON, **DOGGY**!". He then shouted, "What's WRONG! Aren't you hungry, Lassie!"

The creature, who for sure did not understand what he was saying, seemed to become angry, growling even louder than ever.

Mick made more annoying movements - "You MUST be really **stupid** running against doors! **You ARE THE UGLIEST MUTT I'VE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE!**"

He pulled out one of the concussion grenades and threw it towards the beast, without pulling the ring to arm it. The grenades slammed against the head of the creature. Now, angry then ever, the beast screamed a dread howling cry and charged ahead towards Mick.

"Hoo BOY!", Mick shouted -He was surprised that he managed to draw it's attention-, Still, he knew what he was doing – at least he hoped he was. Running down the hall, He looked ahead - seeing the high glass-window...

Making another run for his life, he shouted towards the back, "... Ha ... ha... you... think... you... can ... get... me..?!.... You've.... mistaken… , my.... friend!"

Mick was just a few meters away from the window. He quickly pulled out his last concussion grenade and, this time, pulled the ring, but still held the handle, which delayed the priming until he let go.

He immediately stopped his pace, slid forward, fell to the ground - rolled and got back on his feet fast, since he still had momentum from running.

In a crouched position, just three meters away from the large window behind him, he could see the beast about 17 meters away from him. Mick got up and got ready to throw his grenade.

Smiling devilish, angry and quite out of breath, he gave a last speech, "...ok... Lassie...", and gathered all his strength and wits, "FETCH THIS!", and threw the grenade towards the beast. As the grenade flew ahead, Mick thought about FoxyRoxy - Seeing a short imaginative picture in his mind ...

"""This is it..."""

Two seconds went by.

Mick saw the beast coming closer and he thought of FoxyRoxy - He covered his eyes with his arms and jumped to his right. A _L O U D BANG _and a BRIGHT **FLASH** occurred between him and the beast. The flash was so bright that it seemed that the beast was merely blinded and ran past Mick, jumping through the window. Mick, who could not see anything at all, heard a faint crashing sound of glass to his left behind him...

A loud howling-squealing cry... slowly fainted away... then a loud splattering, bone snapping and cracking - C R U S H - sound.

Mick moved his arms away from his eyes and opened them. He noticed that he had a high-pitch whistling sound in his ears, since the bang was so loud. Getting up slightly and feeling a little bit dizzy, he crawled pass a few pieces of glass until he reached the edge of the window and looked downwards, pushing a few pieces off the edge of the window.

He spotted the beast... which landed on the street... hard - with blue-greenish blood coming out all sides... It was still moving a little... Although Mick was deaf for a moment... He could slightly hear a quiet but still hearable death cry... then it stopped... along with the beast's movements.

He got away from the window, rolled over shattered window pieces into a corner.

He smiled towards the ceiling while lying on his back... then started laughing. A few familiar faces showed up. He saw policemen and some of the volunteers talking towards him. Mick saw their lips moving, but all he could reply was, "- Haha-haha ...... What?!" - Still having the whistling sound in his ear...

----


	8. Chapter 7 But I'm a civilian

----Chapter 7---- "... but I am just a civilian..."

"Officer's Mess" of the Bridge Citadel…

The "Officer's Mess" was the perfect place for long-time duty operatives of the SDF-1 to have a break, have meals – or even have time to learn about the latest gossips. Similar to a gigantic cafeteria, the Mess was indeed a big hall that had much to offer. Filled with many officers and operatives of the Citadel, many conversations, voices and other noise could be heard. Worried about the situations happening around and within the SDF-1, many stood in front of TV monitors and other wide-screen images displaying reporters and news.

Although there were countless groups of uniformed men and women standing or sitting in front of the large monitors above, they all followed the news and reports from the same network: MCNN. But unlike the other situations the SDF-1 went through, many of them were shocked as they followed what was going on. Listening to the report of Miss Janette Arson, who held the broadcast sitting in front of a table with pages on them and an image of the RDF symbol behind her as she spoke with a clear voice:

""… _After the strange quake that went the whole city, many of citizens were surprised by the sudden jolt that caused casualties and accidents throughout all districts. Emergency organizations are working around the clock trying to support those who need help. Although the RDF usually holds information confidential, Admiral Gloval – The supreme commander of the SDF- ordered 'State of Emergency'_ "", She paused as somebody suddenly contacted her upon the small receiver in her ear and a page handed from the side – Although reporters holding broadcasts normally should not show any reactions, the message she received did sound somewhat urgent and worrisome.

As her eyes met the camera, they gave a strange glare as she spoke, "" _L -Ladies and Gentlemen, we have just received word from the RDF and a contact to a live report from one of our correspondents in the northern districts. I will now read the message – 'Citizens of Macross City, this is a message with high urgency directed to all onboard the SDF-1. The SDF-1 under siege by an unknown vessel and has been infiltrated by hostile life forms that are invading the northern sectors of the city. Everybody who lives in these sectors are in danger and are advised to seek the next group of any law enforcement or military group immediately. Avoid any confrontation with the invaders at all costs' – End of this urgent message. MCNN will broadcast a summary of another upcoming message from the RDF soon, but until then, we will now switch to… Reporter Hal Quentin from MCNN-3, north_"". After a short image switch, the monitor displayed a shaky and unstable broadcast of a man in cover who held a microphone and tried to take a short look above an edge. His clothes was a bit dirty and even the man holding the camera had a shaky arm…

""_H – Hal_"", Janette called, ""_Hal Quentin, can you hear us_?""

"" – _Is this thing on_?! _Test test_"", Hal's voice said loudly with many interferences.

""_Yes, Hal – Yes, we can hear you, but the transmission is a bit unstable. What is going on over there_?""

Quentin seemed out of breath and under a slight shock as he spoke, ""_I – I'm reporting live from the 'Sterntaler' District… There are situations like this one here taking place all along the northern border _–", he made a pause and swallowed, ""_These – These life forms are strange beings attacking everything that moves – killing anybody on sight_! _We, we just barely made here into cover – Those thing are shooting some kind of spikes – I don't know if – or - Very dangerousssss_..."", the signal suddenly ripped and lost contact to the MCNN receivers.

""_Hal – Hal_?"", Janette recalled, ""_We're loosing your signal_! _Can you here me_?"" – after a pause, the image remained with a snowy image, ""_Ladies and Gentlemen, MCNN apologizes for the communication difficulties but I'm afraid our contact collaped due to overlaying communication channels - apparently. In favor of the RDF, it is urgent that civilians and any other innocent bystanders keep away from these hotspots_…""

As Reporter Janette Arson continued with the broadcast, much concern and anxiety could be seen among the faces of every operative and officer who just followed the recent broadcast. It was a threat that neither the RDF nor the citizens were ready for, despite that this situation could have happened during the last Zentraedi attacks – yet the SDF-1 was caught off-guard.

Kim Young, who sat with Vanessa Leads and across of Sammie Porter, took a sip from her hot coffee as the other women turned their heads away from the monitors showing the broadcast. The three women took this break to recreate themselves a bit since their consoles were shortly being repaired due to minor damages, they did not expect that such an intensive horror scenario would happen within the SDF-1.

"Oh my… What is happening down there?", Sammie asked, which sounded somewhat naïve.

Kim heard her words, but did not react as she laid her cup of coffee back on the table.

"I can't believe it either", Vanessa replied at the same time she went with her hand through her hair, "– I mean, we are in total war with the Zentraedi – but now we are being invaded by a totally new alien force. That feedback surge of the Reflex-Cannon and the impact really caused much damage upon the SDF-1…"

Just as Sammie heard the word 'impact', her shoulder ached in pain again as she laid her hand upon it.

"I hope the engineering teams can get those systems back online", Vanessa said as she looked over towards Kim, referring to her, "Hey, Kim – What about 'Lindy'?" Hope your sister's alright…"

A few announcements could be heard in the background, but they ignored them.

Even though Kim heard Vanessa asking something, she woke up from daydreaming and replied, "I have no idea about Miss Karen Young or the status of her health. She only woke up from her station and was brought away immediately – No idea if she is alright…"

It was very strange for both Sammie and Vanessa since Kim mentioned the name of sister with "Miss Karen Young"… Although they both knew that neither Kim nor Karen never really had a tight relationship as sisters, but they did not expect that it was such distance between them – as if they were total strangers…But as they sat quiet for the short moment, Kim suddenly laid her hand behind her right ear as she felt a strange feeling at the same spot and turned her face slightly away from Sammie and Vanessa.

Noticing her sudden reaction, Sammie asked, "Hey, Kim – Are you ok? Or did you hurt yourself during the impact after all?", with a worried voice.

"It's nothing", she replied quickly, though not looking as if she were fine.

"You sure?", Vanessa added, "Looks like you really –"

But Kim insisted that it was nothing, "Look – I'm fine, you two –", and suddenly lifted herself from the table.

"Hey – Where are you going?", Sammie wondered…

"It's nothing special really", Kim answered back, "just got to head to the restrooms – We all better report to the bridge. I'm sure Lisa will be waiting for us to appear as soon as possible – See you at the bridge, ladies" - Without any other words, she walked away, leaving the two women and her cup of coffee behind – Finding her way through the crowd of officers and operatives standing in the way.

Just following her movements as she walked away, Vanessa said, "Strange – I've never seen her acting like this before."

"Well, she has always been quiet", Sammie explained, "- especially when it came to talking about her sister. Sometimes I envy her for having a relative here aboard the SFD-1…", and lowered her head. A slight feeling of lonesomeness went through her as she thought about herself. For the moment, she thought back, how it was on Earth, when she still had a family – until that very day when the Zentraedi attacked Macross Island, wrecking havoc among those who lived in the area around the SDF-1. Although her brother was the only unconfirmed casualty, she gave up all hopes for finding him… But despite her lonesome feeling, she still had hopes for one person…

"You're right on that one", Vanessa said back to her, then pushed her glasses up slightly and shrugged – "but what really is confusing is why she mentioned 'Lindy' by her full name… I never really expected that they would be such total strangers – They're sisters, after all - ", though over-questioned.

"""…Lisa… Why did she call Commander Hayes by her first name and her own sister not... ?""", Sammie thought – but then cleared her mind.

"Anyways – we better get going", Vanessa continued, "She's right about reporting back"

Doing as she said, Sammie agreed and lifted herself from the table and began walking with her as she took another look at the monitor showing the reporter broadcasting messages with images of fighting Valkyries… Reminding her about a certain pilot, her heart filled with fear, as she felt worried about a certain person - A certain pilot who was out in space rather sacrificing his life for the sake of the SDF-1 and those within. Although knowing that it was his duty, she thought about the last meeting they had and her hesitation that caused her not to enlighten him for the feelings she had for him…

----

The raging battle upon and very high above the upper deck of the SDF-1 continued - Constant explosions and blazes of fire were everywhere... Flying right through the heat of the battle, a group of 'Valley-Cats' scrambled as the invasion creatures of the "Invid-Exodus" attacked them. Feeling rumbles and flares of small missile packs exploding around them constantly, many of these young rookie pilots had trouble trying to keep themselves cool as the action became more intense.

""Break! Break!"", Major Bronco shouted as he evaded the incoming shots just barely.

Not all were lucky as they splintered from each other - Loosing faith, one of the male rookie pilots lost his orientation due to the sudden attack… It only took a short matter of seconds until the creatures noticed his mistake and attacked the Valkyrie without mercy. Bronco turned his head, looking back as he spotted how the pilot did a crucial mistake during his evasive opportunity – and just before he could say a word, the female RW co-pilot shouted, "" 'Over-G', 'Over-G'!"", as the negative result for the high aggressive maneuver during the high speed flight took its place, making it impossible for the pilot to counter the motion, ""Loosing control – We're unable - !""

Too late – it was impossible for Bronco to count the streams of dark blue projectiles penetrating through the armor and the fuselage beneath like a batch of pins puncturing through a pincushion. Several negligible bursts of explosions tore pieces off the 'Valley-Cat' as it lost more of its control.

Deploying its legs and arms, Bronco's Valkyrie morphed to Battleroid mode and started firing a stream of rounds upon his aggressors that were after him thanks to his skilled RW co-pilot Vikksdottir. Well-experienced thanks to months of intense fighting, he managed well in avoiding shots. Noticing the friendly units under his wing spreading out wildly, he needed to do something fast about reforming an offensive wing or they would suffer more losts – but just before he was about call out the orders, the voice of Airman 1st class "Rixler" shouted over their commline, commanding the few units Bronco was about to choose, ""Gralle, Peterson, McFarren – Engage guardian mode to lower your velocity and perform a 'Loop-Five'! Do you copy?!""

""You crazy?!"", Gralle replied anxiously as he kept flying back and forth, ""Slowing down will only get us sliced-'n-diced!""

Rixler kept swinging his controls from one spot to another and pushing and pulling the pedals up and down, only receiving single hits that caused minor damage – then he shouted, ""Just trust me and do as I say! If you fly any faster and try to dodge, you'll get stuck in 'Over-G' just like Lynx – Now do as I say now"""

Though under tough stress and the threat of getting killed, they did as Rixler said. Following the maneuver they performed with his eyes from afar, he watched them slowing down as they Valkyrie fighters swung their legs out and started blasting ahead, making the group fly an sharp loop. Appearing upon his left screen, Rixler spotted a young female RW co-pilot – the youngest one of the whole squadron. For the brief second, he found it astonishing how such a young woman was able to keep cool in a situation like this, unlike the others freaking out. Looking shortly at the name in the corner, he read "RW - Val 'Triss' Charming" as her soft voice spoke:

""_This is _'_Triss'_. _To all units – Our Valkyries are capable of using assisted targeting between each other – allowing the chance to lower the time needed for targeting individually. Setting short-range missiles to random targeting will allow us to fire-and-forget… Triss out…_""

Enlightened by her suggestive idea, another female pilot appeared upon the other side of the screen and spoke with a slight Asian accent, ""_Scarlet here – Triss is right_! _Trovski and I still have several packs of those missiles available_!""

A Russian voice also added, ""We are currently not under fire – Ready to fire, but we require targets, over.""

Rixler smiled, as he looked back shortly up to Genesis, "You can take care of that, right?"

"You can count on me!", she replied back and immediately got to work. Sliding her hand over the pad filled with several holo-images, she targeted several hostile units that were in direct contact of her flight group.

""Alright – Everybody split up and form groups of three. Keep those bugs on the run and try to stay alive – Genesis is targeting them for you so do as Triss said! ""

Major Bronco smiled as he followed their plan… Proud to see that they were starting to work as a team...

""Genesis here – Targeting finished! Fire at will!""

It did not take long until countless numbers of streams of small missiles were launched and spread all along the areas, individually following paths to several creatures. Aside from all the constant explosions and shooting of the whole battle zone, multiple explosions occurred – destroying many of their opposing enemies.

""Alright!"", one of them shouted as they saw the positive results of the barrage. Getting used to commanding the groups of rookie pilots, Rixler and Genesis slowly learned the true efficiency of their Valkyrie. In fact, their flight group was starting to regain the upper hand against their aggressors, even starting to support other units who were outside of their squadrons. Despite the fact that there were a lot more creatures than RDF units, they were at least gaining a better result than the first contact… When suddenly, they saw large group of Valkyries appearing from the edge of the SDF-1 far below them…

Meanwhile, far below the fighting upon the deck of the SDF-1…

A damaged "Valley-Cat" Valkyrie that was thrown upon the ground slid several meters away. The Valkyrie showed multiple scratches and parts from its armor seemed to spark... Maintaining guardian mode, Rooks regained control and lifted the Valkyrie once again into a combat stance. Looking straight ahead, his eyes were only focused on the creature that was like a tall hulk in an arena. Not far away stood Jester and Sparrow, and Wiseguy and Piranha, circling the beast slightly as they tried to gain some thinking time. They all have tried every possibility to defeat the beast – Although their Valkyries were able to take on the smaller beasts, they stood helplessly against this armored hulk, which only waited for the next attack.

Private/Airman. Faye "Cherry" Blossom, Rooks' RW co-pilot, who was anxious and out of breath and ideas, gasped as she spoke, "I never – thought we would have to put up with – such a monster…"

""Are you two ok?!"", Sparrow's voice called over the commline as her face appeared upon a secondary screen. Her image flashed and fuzzed a few times.

""Ever been in a washing machine?"", Rooks snarled.

""Minor damages, but we're still fine… "", Cherry replied.

""Damn, that thing is heavily armored"", Wiseguy added, ""How the hell are we gonna get this thing down…?""

""Any ideas – Dunno how long that thing gonna stay put!"", Rooks shouted over line as the hulk slowly turned over towards his direction – but still held its position. Suddenly, the Chinese pilot, whose Valkyrie was still stuck to the ground, entered the commline, ""We might have a chance! I still have one of my Gauss Catapults ready. If you could try to distract the beast – I shall try my best to fire when it reveals a weak spot!""

""Well, I'm up for anything!"", Jester recalled, ""Let's give it a shot!"" Taking the chance, Jester caused the Battleroid to lean forward and blast its thrusters ahead, causing the whole mecha to charge ahead at the armored hulk.

Though attacking without warning, the hulk immediately turned itself towards Jester's Battleroid, which was caught by its right arm. Trying to distract this armored brute, he shouted, ""Rooks! Get over here and try to grab that other arm!""

Just as the beast was about to slam its left arm against Jester's Battleroid, Rooks already reacted and caught the arm before it caused damage and shouted back, ""You got it!"". Trying to keep hold, they were shaken back and forth – So hard and heavy that both female co-pilots were forced to hold their seat handles in order not to be shaken against any pads. In the heat of action, the beast shot two of its large projectiles aimlessly into the "sky" – Luckily missing the head of Rooks' Battleroid by a meter, although it caught a certain amount of slime.

""My Veritech is incapable of taking a firing stance"", the Chinese pilot reminded, ""You there – If you could lift my left side, I might be able to perform targeting with my last remaining cannon!""

Referring to Wiseguy and Piranha, he looked back and saw that the red "Red-Dragon", though stuck on the ground and heavily damaged, still had its lower left artillery cannon available, only slightly damaged on the rear side. Responding to his call, he flew the Valkyrie over to the side and changed mode to guardian mode.

The "Invid-Hulk" fought trying to get its arms free again. It had so much strength that both Rooks and Jester had difficulties trying to keep hold of its arms. Feeling the side of red Valkyrie lifting, the Chinese pilot looked ahead and activated his targeting systems for his remaining cannon. As he did this, the cannon moved slightly, aiming straight at the beast, which was being tackled by two "Valley-Cats".

""Higher – just a little bit more… Hold it right there!"", the Chinese pilot ordered.

Just as Wiseguy stopped lifting its side, a row of several large bolts of ammunition slid out from the case of the lower cannon. The ammo counter of the artillery cannon went down from 20 to 1…

""Hey, ya got an 'ammo leakage' here!"", Jester shouted.

""Yes – Only one charge left!"", he replied.

Zooming close towards the torso of the beast, he waited until the cannon aligned itself upon the designated target. When it was done, he demanded with his Chinese accent, ""Artillery cannon ready to fire – At my signal, both of you must release yourselves from the beast, or you will be torn with it!""

Several seconds went by and they still were trying to make an opening – when suddenly…

The pilot shouted, ""Now!""

At the same time he said now, both Battleroids were tossed away by the beast – Fortunately, the beast left its torso open, just perfect for the Chinese pilot to pull the trigger at once. Once again, the cannon rejected towards the back as it blasted the powerful shot ahead. Due to the sudden recoil and unsupported launch, both Valkyries in guardian mode fell towards the back since they were not secured for such a powerful draw back. Struck by the extreme explosive shot upon the torso, the beast was thrown again away from its feet and floated swiftly away from the deck.

""YEAH!"", Rooks shouted – ""WOOHOO! Look at that punk flying!"", Jester added. They cheered as the beast floated far away and high above the deck… but then suddenly, it halted itself and stretched both armored arms and legs out. The explosive fire around it vanished as it regained itself from the hit.

"… Crap…", Wiseguy said…

But then from the middle of nowhere, a group of multiple turquoise-colored shots rained from above... Slicing through the left arm of the beast and several areas upon its torso. As its arm tore off, a stream of fluids spread out… Just a few moments later, the arm of the beast landed next to Rooks…

"... Particle shots...?!", Cherry said - startled...

Rooks looked up, which also caused the head of the Battleroid to look upwards. He spotted a familiar large vessel with hundreds of Valkyrie groups, firing in all directions, shooting down many hostilities. Another group of smaller "Invid" creatures flew past their heads high above them – Along with several puffs of small explosive shots… chased by two VFD-1A "Dragnadayas" spraying them full with their flak ammunition. Just the looks in the "sky" above showed how the vessel slowly dominated the battle against the massive fleet of "Invid-creatures".

""It's the 'Majestica'!"", Cherry said – astonished but thankful for them showing up just on time... "" Along with some ARMD carriers! They're blasting those slimebags away with everything they've got - even with particle cannons! I can't believe it!""

""Now that's what I call a 'Calvary'"", Sparrow added as she spotted several Valkyries dashing above their them, pursuing another batch of creatures. Chased by volleys of missiles, the enemy fleet made an escape… Fleeing back towards the vicinity area of the "Invid-Exodus" which stuck itself upon the frontal section of the SDF-1, several kilometers far ahead. Aiming the heavy cannon-rifle at the hulk with a single arm, Piranha was ready to fire… but just before she pulled the trigger, the beast followed the fleet of escaping creatures, diving under the fleet and retreated along with them.

""I can't believe it either…"", Piranha said with surprised voice, ""They're retreating…""

Wiseguy lifted his eyebrow shortly since he was surprised that she did not fire at all. Many of the rookies standing on the deck were amazed about the sudden reinforcements.

Another large group of creatures flew past the small team of Valkyries, totally ignoring them.

The right screens of all Valkyries started to fuzz again. Commander Hayes showed up – Her image and her voice was garbled, but still understandable to a certain point:

""_To all Valky … units_. _Fleet communications is currently being supported by the communication array of the 'Majestica'._ _Enemy forces are retreating and are en route back to the bio-ship. All units are ordered to disengage and dock onboard the _'_Majestica_'_ and the ARMD carriers. Active launching bays in the northern area of the SDF-1 have been evacuated due to infiltration. Replacement battalions and squadrons will launch from the _'_Majestica' and the ARMD carriers soon and will maintain defense. Divisions "Armadillo and Venus", Squadrons "Vermillion", "Spector Rangers" and "Serpent Wing" are ordered to return to bay 9. Commander Hayes, out_.""

Major Bronco's face showed up on the other side of the screen, his face was slightly garbled and flashed a few times...

""-fzzt- Looks like reinforcements finally arrived! Guess those that were surprised like hell"", he said, ""To all units under my wing, disengage and retreat to bay 9 – Join my wing on the way back – Bronco out!""

""Yeah! Right on!"", another squadmate shouted, who was somewhere else, ""They've got 'em on the run!""

Rooks leaned back as he let go of the Valkyrie controls and thought about what happened. Cherry, who sat behind him, wondered why he hesitated to lift off.

"What's wrong? Didn't you hear what Bridge Command just said?", Cherry asked.

He crossed his arms - something was bothering him about the situation.

"...Hmm... It was a bit too easy...", he said, "I don't get it.... I just don't get why those thing retreated... just like that - "

"Well... I least they retreated...", she said, looking down to him, "They nearly had us on that one..."

"Yeah, we owe 'em....", Rooks said, looking up at the "Majestica" again. It was the first time in his life that he saw this ship in action. Its design was truly unique and gave the impression of mankind's will to survive. The battles above slowly called down and it was only a matter of seconds until the creature who remained in battle were overwhelmed by the superior force.

""Hey kid!"" - Major Bronco's voice struck the silence of the cockpit, ""Quit daydreaming! And get up here!""

Rooks snapped out of it and grabbed his controls.

"Yeah... Let's just get out of here...", he said, but just before was about to both pedals downwards, he spotted the leftovers of the hulk's arm lying on the deck. It was a disgusting view for Cherry, but Rooks lowered the Battleroid and picked up the arm, which still bled strange fluids into space.

"What are you doing, Rooks?", she asked as she looked away.

"Battle-Trophy, hehe – Gotta get me a holophoto-shot for this one!", he said as he caused the Battleroid to lay the torn arm upon its shoulders and lifted off.

""Hey Jester"", Wiseguys voice called over the commline, ""Gimme a hand and help me get the Chinese guy up!""

""Sure thing!"", Jester replied, frankly happy to help out, ""– Hope we get to fly sometime again with these guys. They pack a punch, eh?""

Jester's Battleroid lifted up the cannon-rifle, which Wiseguy dropped back then and tried to pull out the large projectile that nailed the right foot of the red Valkyrie to the deck. After pulling it out, it grabbed the other side of the "Red-Dragon".

""Thank you to all of you"", the Chinese pilot said, ""Our lives were in danger if all of you have not shown up.""

""Sparrow here, calling Destroid pilot – What's your status? Over.""

After a few seconds, she spotted the pilot in a HEC suit slowly finding his way out of the downed Destroid "Monster" again, sounding a bit out of breath, he replied, ""Kevin Tracer, Destroid Pilot - Roger, Sparrow – I'm fine so far. Rescue crews already responded to my distress beacon and will evac me and this Destroid soon. I think you all can head off without me – Should be fine down here now with those bugs away. Thanks for the support - Hope we can meet up later!""

""Roger"", Sparrow said and deactivated all weapon systems…

The group lifted off, joining the fleet of Veritechs filling the area high between the SDF-1 and the vessels above…

As hundreds and thousands of Valkyries slowly flew back, they began to see the aftermath of the battle… There were many losses on both sides - From Dead hulks of Valkyries and those of the strange creatures – and even more parts floating along, it was not that hard to see that the struggle was worth it.

Flying slowly at lead of the rookie group, the Valkyrie of Bronco and Vikksdottir flew ahead in front of the rookies who were talking about the events of the battle and Rooks' new trophy. During those conversations, Lieutenant Commander Vikksdottir, who sat in behind Major Bronco, started to receive a direct communication request straight from Bridge Command – though not an urgent call, it was sure that it was an important one.

Speaking in her usual Scandinavian accent, she leaned her head to the left a bit, looking over to Bronco and said, "Major Bronco? I have Bridge Command call us. Putting them through now."

It took a few seconds until the image on the screen revealed Admiral Gloval, who lifted his face and saluted. The image fuzzed several times as he spoke with a firm voice, ""Greetings, Major Bronco.""

Returning the salute, the Major replied, ""Admiral Gloval – Greetings, sir. How may I serve you?""

""Major, Lieutenant Commander - Congratulations to the success of the battle and hope you and your squadron are in good health. I wish both of you to report in to the Bridge Citadel after your return to the SDF-1 and await further orders. But before you report in, I must congratulate you to the forming of the first fleet-defender division of the RDF. You and Lt. Commander Vikksdottir will be the commanders of this unique division that consists of several subdivisions similar to the 'Armadillo' and 'Venus'. I must apologize to this sudden decision, but you will not be alone – You may choose your subcommanders and officers as well. The subdivisions will consist mainly of enlisted ranks, novice pilots and special Valkyries. As soon as you board the SDF-1, I wish you to inform your squadrons and promote and recommendations for the enlisted ranks, then advise them that their squadrons will be transferred to the 'Majestica'. I am also aware that your men and women require immediate recreation, but it is needed that they are stationed aboard the 'Majestica'. Lt. Commander Vikksdottir, I wish you to advise the women under your command as well. Have you both understand my orders?""

Both nodded and confirmed...

----

Somewhere in the far northern districts of the Macross City deck, a large number of motors could be heard...

Robert suddenly woke up after being shaken around. Looking back and forth, he spotted armed soldiers who were sitting in a row on both of his sides. The sounds of the motors gave him the hint that they were inside a truck. As he leaned up his upper body, one of them said, "Hey Major Goodings", as he chewed a few times on his chewing gum, "Looks like our passenger is back from dreamland."

It was all coming back into his mind - He remembered that he was in the workshop before and that some creature crashed in and killed his colleagues.

Robert rubbed his forehead, "Ngh, what happened? Where I am?", he said as he felt a bit groggy. One of the soldiers got up and climbed his way towards the side of Robert, seeming as if this was the person called Major Goodings.

"Nice to see you ok", the man said, giving his hand. Robert hesitated, but then shook his hand...

"I am Major Carl Goodings, soldier of the RDF, 423rd armed division 'Pershing Rifles'. I am sorry... but we came too late to rescue your friends... They were severely injured by the time we neutralized that attacking creature..."

Robert lifted himself, still feeling miserable, "... I still don't get what's going on..."

"You seem to have bumped your head really bad", the Major said, "but our medics treated you already. Pain should be gone a few minutes…"

One of the soldiers with a red-cross band on his arm added, "Yeah, he'll be fine", smiled, then spoke further with other soldiers... The lost mechanic felt the truck bumping up and down... "Where are we going... what's happening?"

Goodings took a few seconds, thinking of what to say- then answered "Ok... but what I'm about to tell you shouldn't be told to any other civilians... I'm afraid you're going to have to stay with us for a while. This is something that not all civilians should hear. Some kind of ship collided into the SDF-1... but not just any ship... It's biological... you know what I mean?"

It took a few seconds until Robert understood what he said, "You mean... alive?... A 'living'".

He continued, "Yes... It first collided with he SDF-1 - then sent in these creatures... The creatures have attacked the citizens.... We were called to defend the evacuation teams while they rescue and support any civilians we come across. That's why you are here with us - so far. Right now, we are still in the 'Sterntaler District', heading 'north'. I guess you have no other choice but to stick with us."

Robert remained quiet, not knowing what to say.

Major Goodings' shoulder radio made a frequency-scratch sound. Robert remembered hearing the same female voice a while ago. The commanding soldier held his hand to his headset.

"Yes? Major Goodings here..."

The female voice spoke: ""_Umm... yes sir... This is Corporal Sarah Capricorn... You are near the hot zone. The evac point is hot. Many casualties and enemy presence have been reported. You are to deploy your squad and to support others in the area_. _I can detect heavy fighting in the region ahead of your position. Ground forces are engaged by the unknown intruders and have suffered losses. They are in need of immediate support._""

"Roger, Major Goodings out...", he confirmed and then heard anotherd frequency-scratch, "... Ok you're coming with us... Mister..."

"Robert... Robert Jackson's my name - Technician", he replied back to him.

"Ok, Mr. Jackson. I think you'll make it if you stay with us. But keep out of action and let us do the job. Parker - ?"

Immediately interrupting his conversation, the soldier who responded to the name "Parker", lifted himself shortly and said, "Yes, sir?"

"Get a 'light BPA vest' for our passenger", the Major ordered.

"Got it", Parker replied and pulled opened a kit just beneath his seat, then pulled out a strange looking vest.

"What's that thing... A shield?", Robert asked, taking the vest.

"Something alike, it a Ballistica-Protection-Armor vest, light, Mark one. It should protect you well – but remember, just keep out of danger. I don't think I need to hand you a gun…", the Major replied back

"...oh... That's fine for me"

The truck stopped.

Major Goodings turned away and spoke to his squad:

"... Ok men and women, you heard Bridge Command. Let's support our allies and rescue civilians! Spencer, Benson!", referring to one of the persons chewing chewing-gum next to Robert, "You two take care of our passenger, and keep cool. Just cover him and stay out of trouble. Everybody else, you know the deal - DO you all understand me?"

Loud and clearly, they shouted, "YES SIR!"

The soldiers and Robert disembarked from the truck. The scenario was quite devastating. Many people were lying on the street and blood was practically everywhere. Many building were either damaged or completely destroyed. Robert coughed a few times as he smelled the thick air around him. Far ahead, shooting around, screaming, shouting and other strange sounds could be heard. Waving his hand, the Major signal his troop and others, which also jumped off their trucks, to join him and move ahead. Akk troops ran towards that direction and saw fighting between soldiers and the strange looking creatures.

They could also see different vehicles, both land and air versions, getting civilians inside and taking off.

Robert once again coughed several times as he tried to ignore the disgusting view of the streets…

"This is your chance, Mr. Jackson – You wanna take your ticket out of this mess?", Major Goodings shouted, then wove his hands towards one of the aircrafts lifting off… But then suddenly, right after a few seconds – The aircraft filled with soldiers and evacuated civilians was struck by multiple shots and streams of dark blue projectiles… Loosing one of its turbines, the aircraft started to loose on altitude and was forced to land… Unfortunately, its landing was far beyond a safe call as crashed into one of the buildings.

"What the hell!", one of the soldiers shouted as they saw the heard explosions.

"-Bad idea for now, pal"..

""Requesting reinforcements! Evac-Aircrafts are grounded as long as we don't take down bugs from the fields far ahead - over!"", a voice shouted from the shoulder radio of the Major and the walkie-talkies of the other solders.

Robert saw the squad shooting around. Two creatures, the same like the one who attacked him at the workshop, appeared far ahead of the squad. But thanks to the reflexes of the soldiers, they immediately neutralized their attackers. A few minutes of hard fighting went by and the squad managed to cover and support many civilians to get into evacuation transporters. Moving ahead, they entered a wide recreation park… The once thriving and beautiful place with trees and grass like on Earth was now a field full of craters, corpses and other devastating things… And even in these areas, intense action and firefights took their place.

Robert followed the group from one place to another on the fields as they covered another group of civilians and wounded soldiers. But then, Major Goodings saw something what he could not believe that was happening. A reporter… along with a cameraman in the middle of the field, hiding behind cover - just beyond their position was a child, who seemed pretty lost and who had no idea what was going on around it. Unable to escape, they were somewhat held down by suppressive fire from the creatures among the other side of field. Making their way through to them, Robert stayed

"Damn it! What's that kid doing there!", another one of the soldiers shouted.

Bypassing and trying to evade the shots zinging past them – They ran along the wreaked trees and other things on the ground. Robert surely was impressed how they managed to move ahead - first waiting, then making the next move from cover to cover. Reaching the reporter and the cameraman, the Major seemed pretty angry, as they were still a few meters away from them…

"This is Alvin Pascalli, live from the 'Sterntaler' district!", the reporter shouted, holding his microphone in front of his mouth as both him and the cameraman were down on their knees, "We lost out receiver to MCN Networks, but we are still capable to transmit and recorder what we are experiencing here! We are in a park, being under fire by creature…"

Pascalli continued his speech until he spotted the group of soldiers and Robert reaching the people from MCNN…

"What the hell are you up to? This ain't the right time for a sensation report!", one of the soldiers shouted at the reporter.

"Turn that thing off, punk!", another one of them demanded.

"No – keep it running, Jake – We can't miss on this one, this time."

Arguing at each other as they were in cover, Robert started to wonder how he could have landed in such a mess. But the Major was worried about something else. Looking over his shoulder, he spotted him looking at the child who just walked out of the small hole he was in, as the child spotted them… Walking out into the open area, right in front of the creatures that fortified themselves on the other side of the field… The space between the kid and their cover was far too wide before the other creatures would detect him.

"Crap – What the hell is that kid doing!", the Major shouted as he spotted it walking ahead – at the wrong time, at the wrong place. Dashing immediately ahead, the arguing troops and the reporter turned around as the noticed Major Goodings making a run for it.

"What the –!"

Running as if he were running for his life, he sprinted ahead, between both covers, picked the kid while he was running and used own self to cover the kid. Dark blue projetiles flew - and Major Goodings was hit a few times. Several small shots smacked into his back and one against his leg at the very last moment he reached the recent hideout of the child. Just barely reaching cover, he fell down to his side - The child was fine, but Goodings was bleeding really badly. The pain forced him down, laying his back against their cover.

The injured Major bit his teeth together as he felt the pain...

Every single soldier seized their argument with the 'sensation reporter', who immediately spoke as the other soldiers looked at their wounded commander, "Oh my god – Ladies and Gentleman, the soldier on the other side there was shot several times by the creature as – as he rescued a single child in the opening! He, he sacrificed himself for the sake of the child – Amazing…!"

The cameraman's recording was shaking, but he still was recording everything that was happening…

Neither Robert, nor the soldiers could not believed what happened…They were distracted by the reporter that they totally forgot about the child…There was no way the medics could get to him, - It was just too suicidal. The other soldiers were held back. One of the soldiers wanted to sprint to him, but was also held back by the Second-in-Command.

"Are you crazy, SOLDIER?! Do YOU WANT TO GET KILLED?!", the 2nd commander said loudly. He wanted to save the Majors life as well, but running through the open field would be to more than dangerous. Grabbing the small radio-transceiver on his shoulder which was connected to his walking-talkie, he shouted, ""1st Sergeant Wilson here! Bridge Command, Major Goodings is shot and heavily wounded. We need immediate medical assistance here, over!""

""_Capricorn here – Forces are in heavy combat, but I'm diverting a unit to provide backup_! _If possible, try to transport the Major to them_! _Over_!""

This was not good at all…

Robert felt that if he would stay where he is, the Major would definitely get killed. Deciding to make a move, Robert sneaked past his "bodyguards", grab a medical-kit from the medic that was lying on the floor and started sprinting towards Major Goodings position.

"What the...", Spencer shouted, "JACKSON! Are you crazy?! You're gonna get yourself killed!"

Robert ignored him and ran like a madman. He could hear deadly "zing" sounds fly by and dark-blue lines crossing his path as they struck into the ground and past him. The dart-like shots smacked several times into the ground around his feet, just missing him only slightly. Robert jumped and rolled into the cover where Goodings and the child were – Healthy and a bit nervous at the same time.

"You ...? Here?", Goodings asked surprised...

"No time for talking Mr. ... I mean Major - Goodings... I'll try to treat your wounds..."

"I don't think you have the medical skills to treat me... but I think it's too late... I am bleeding from all sides..."

Goodings was quite bloody and weak.

"... but... We've gotta get you out of here...Major Goodings...", Robert said...

"It's too late for me... I've lost already too much blood... far too much...", the Major replied back, then bit his teeth together again. He was right, though… Robert took a closer look at him and the chances for survival was beyond hope. A small pools of blood was slowly expanding behind him although they were on grass.

"But..."

" No 'buts'... I want you to -", the Major paused shortly as he felt more pain - "... We can't allow these – These bugs to kill our people… I've been in many battles, but I never faced things like these creatures…"

"""What is he talking about?""", Robert thought – He knew that the city was under heavy attack – but the way Goodings was speaking gave him a cold shiver down his back, sounding as if the hope of the SDF-1 was in danger.

"Major – I'm sure we can get you out of here! Just need to get more of you men over –", Robert suggested, but then felt Goodings pulling him a bit closer towards him.

"Jackson… No, Robert – Listen… You don't understand. The creatures we're fighting against are beyond all what the RDF ever encountered… You've gotta face the fact that I won't survive", he coughed, "- survive this day… You and my men gotta get out of here."

Handing over his rifle, which had some of his blood smeared on its side, Major Goodings explained:

"... It's a E14-Gallant Mark IV assault rifle... with self recharging cells - capable of firing nearly 4 shots per second and settable beam or shot intensity values right here... with about 75 rounds per energy cell... recharges slowly when not used... You'll need to put the energy cells into the belt so they can recharge faster... Here's where you can reload... and don't lose it... It's one of the best rifles a soldier can have... take it..."

The bleeding Major also strapped off his belt with a handgun on its side and handed it over.

"... I'm not a soldier...", Robert insisted, "but I'm just a civilian!"

"If you want to survive... You'll have no other chance but to fight against this menace...", the Major felt pain again, "... I don't know how much time I've got to live... but it's better I give you everything you'll be needing..." He set his shoulder-radio to a special frequency, then laid handed over his headsets and radio over to Robert, "... Using it is easy... I've set it to the frequency of the Bridge of the SDF-1... Corporal Capricorn will assist you with whatever information… ugh ... you need."

A frequency-scratch occurred. The voice of Corporal Sarah Capricorn spoke, ""_Corp. Capricorn here_...""

"Robert", the Major said, "Hold that button on the headset or on the shoulder-radio to speak and...", another dose of pain was felt within his back.

Robert did as he said - ""... Umm.. Hello...?""

""_Erm, who are you_? _Who am I speaking to_? _You are not Major Goodings_!"", the voice replied back.

Goodings spoke up, "Listen up Corporal! I am here!..."

""_Ooopss_! _Sorry, Sir_! -""

The Major continued, "Listen... I haven't got much time, so listen up carefully... I'm wounded and I don't think I'm gonna survive this one... The person you just heard is Robert... Jackson... He's civilian... and he's going to take my equipment.... and I want YOU to assist him... Tell him where to go... advise him what to do ... I want you to be his eyes, just as you were for me all my life long on this ship..."

""_Y-yes Sir... but what about you_...?"", she asked - sounding very worried...

"Don't worry about me...", the Major said, "It belongs to the fate of each soldier... kill or get killed... navigate him like I said... I know you can do it... ok.... It's just like the old days, Corporal... Remember to get me a beer when this is over... ok?"

Listening to his words, Robert noticed that they both were very good friends…

""_I understand_...""

"...and remember... I like it served cold..."

"Thanks for rescuing me, Major Goodings...", Robert said to him.

"Just call me Carl", Goodings replied back to him and smiled shortly...

Finally managing to get over to them, a few Soldiers met up wit hthem.

"Major, are you all right?!", the 2nd in command asked.

""..._Major Goodings_?"", Corp. Capricorn called out.

"He's dead...", Robert said in a sorrow voice...

There was a moment of silence. Only gunfire, explosions and creatures screaming from far away could be heard. Robert closed the Major's eyes. The kid Major Goodings rescued started to cry and held him. Sorry for the child, one of the soldiers picked up him up.

"It's ok, Kid. We'll bring you away from here...", the soldier said, trying to cheer him up...

"""Thanks Major... I owe you my life... """, Robert said in his mind...

Sniffs could be heard from the radio Robert had on his shoulder... Corp. Capricorn sounded as if she was crying... ""_I hope he will find a better world_...""

"That makes two of us...", Robert added...

""_Yes._..""

The 2nd commander decided not to waste another second...

"Well, we better get out of here - but I'm not leaving him here... Benson, give me a hand to carry the Major... We better get him outta here"

"My pleasure and honor, sir!", Benson replied and helped him pick up the Major.

"Ok, Miller, you carry the kid, the others shall provide covering fire and get to that evac-aircraft. Orlando? Rachael? As soon as the others provide covering fire, I want you and a few other from the grenade teams to blast those god-damn creatures off the face of this district – Should give the aircrafts enough time to take off, I hope - Clear?!"

"Yes sir!", the soldiers shouted back.

"And don't forget those two foolish reporters either!"

Robert held up the rifle he received from the Major... Looked like as if it were ready to fire...

All soldiers got ready to run. Robert and a few other soldiers were ready to get out of cover and fire.

"Ok, guys, on 'GO'... Three... two... one... GO!", the 2nd commander shouted.

Robert and the soldiers ran out of cover. He saw a few of creatures, but they were not ready – Thank goodness...

"Fire!", one of the soldiers shouted and pulled the trigger.

Robert aimed the rifle but did not fire - the gunfire around him distracted him... Many shots were fired. While the other soldiers had their rifle under control, Robert still had it close to himself, not firing a single shot... "Ok, enough shooting! Let's move!", one of the soldiers shouted and wove his hand, making a 'charge that way'-movement.

Robert and the others ran as fast as they could. After hearing few launching sounds, multiple explosions could be heard as the ground rumbled several times…

"Toast those punks!"

As the soldiers ran by, a few of them pulled Alvin Pascalli and his reporter along with them, forcing them to run with them. Fortunately, it did not take long until Robert and the soldiers left the recreation park and made it back to the streets where the aircrafts stood. The transporter was an aircraft with two rotor turbines on both sides, having many civilians onboard. Robert could see a red cross and the RDF symbol on it as he boarded it.

"All onboard..?!", the 2nd commander asked and received thumbs-up from the soldiers - "Ok, PILOT, You can TAKE OFF! We got everybody we could get! Let's get out of here!"

The aircrafts turbines started to get louder and it took off. Robert was holding on a handle and looked outside. Since the vehicle was full, he was on the side of open door as the vehicle took off.

He felt relieved to be off the battlefield. The aircraft gained on altitude as it started to turn and fly towards the south. When he looked back, he saw one creature he has never seen before... One that was as tall as a building, hanging with long and very thick tissue-solid-fluid tentacles. Robert was unsure... He knew that this was not all of what he has seen so far...

All the sudden, they started to hear "zing" sounds. Again, dark-blue projectiles were flying by.

One of pilots said to hold on and to have look to his side to the ground. Robert noticed that there was a gigantic hole with a diameter of beyond 150 meters in the ground with water pouring like a waterfall down to lower unknown decks. It looked like something exploded.

"Whoa!", he shouted, "Look at the size of that hole! What happened there?"

"Yeah!", the 2nd commander shouted back - although standing next to him, the motors of the aircraft were loud - "I heard that one of the Veritech heavy bomber choppers was also shot down a long time ago, along with the bombs still strapped on it's hard-points! Looks like it also destroyed a main water line as well!"

Robert looked back down and said, "What?! It sure did make a large hole... I hope that..." – Suddenly, Robert heard a "zing" along with a dark-blue line missing his head ... as the aircraft did a light right turn.

But then, surprisingly, the handle and strap Robert was holding on started to feel loose. He saw that one dark-blue projectile shot right through his strap.

In slow-motion - Since the aircraft was doing a right-curve, the force of gravity forced him to fall out of the transporter cabin. The 2nd commanding soldier and a few others tried to catch him, but it as too late, they missed Robert's hand by a millimeter... After a few seconds falling downwards... Robert splashed into the water... came back up, and sucked into the hole while being in the waterfall...

"Oh no..............", the soldier said... as the aircraft flew further...

----


	9. Chapter 8 Conference of Defense

---- Chapter 8 ---- The Conference of Defense

Veritech Launching Bay 9 of the SDF-1.

Although more chaotic and filled with even more technician teams, medics and Veritech hardware, the halls of the launching area was a lot more active than the first one the rookies were at. Many of the Valkyries that returned from the battle were in such a bad shape that they wondered how such a thing could still fly. There was also an unforgettable burnt smell throughout the area thanks to an emergency fire due to a Valkyrie that suffered an inflammable fluid leakage. Standing in front of Major Bronco and Lt. Commander Vikksdottir, the rookies stood in a half circle in front of their commanders just like in the first meeting. Some of the men and women from the first meeting were missing, either shot down or killed in action. Exhaustion was practically written over the faces of the rookies as they stood at their places, all having their helmets held against their hips.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen", Bronco said, beginning his speech, "Glad to see most of you back from the fighting. We won't have much time, but I'd like to inform you about a few changes. The Admiral is proud about your capabilities although many of you are novice pilots who entered real combat for the first time. Due to this fact, the Admiral has decided to form a new division under the lead of Lt. Commander Vikksdottir and I. All enlistment squadrons of the women will be integrated with ours and will form the division – Additionally, we will receive a row of special Valkyries unlike the standard VF-1As – All of you have already met the 'Valley-Cat'. Commander?"

Vikksdottir took word, "I am pleased to announce that all of you are now part of the 'Marauder Gauntlets'. - and to add to that, a few of you will be promoted."

Many made astonished faces as they listened to their commanders.

"Airman 1st Class Niel 'Rixler' Madison? Take one step out of the row", Bronco called out.

Doing as he said, Rixler made one step ahead, "Yes sir"

"Jenna 'Genesis' Callahan?", Vikksdottir also called out.

She did the same as Rixler, wondering what was coming.

"I am proud to announce that both of you have proven yourselves as young Veritech pilots who have the will of leadership and now are promoted to E-9 'Chief Master Sergeant'", the Major announced – and just as he said it, both Rixler and Genesis were congratulated by their squadmates, "You both are now second-in-command of the enlisted pilots and co-pilots in this group. I, myself, have to go through the lists of available officers, who will only consist of ranks O-1 through O-3, before I can assign flight commanders to your group. Until then, you will be in charge."

"Yes, and thus", Vikksdottir continued, "all of you will receive 'Adept Aviation Wings' for the success of your mission. Major Bronco will stay here since the Admiral ordered it. As for my part of the command, I will be responsible for the training of those enlisted ranks who have not been in combat yet."

Rooks clapped his hands when he heard the words that sounded like music in ears and cheered, "Alright! We've gotta celebrate this!"

But then, Bronco rose his hand shortly, showing all of them to calm down, "Sorry, everybody – but I'm afraid there won't be any time for celebration…"

"What?", Rooks said, assuming they would be able to take a break.

"The 'Marauder Gauntlets' division is ordered to relocate themselves to the 'Majestica' Destroyer."

"But sir – you've gotta be kiddin' …", another pilot said.

"Sorry, but you all will be transferred there. The situation we've got onboard the SDF-1 is a lot more critical than expected. Many of the bays like these were taken over and we have no idea about the status of the bay 15 – besides the fact that it was invaded by the creatures", Bronco explained further, "The 'Majestica' offers more capabilities in launching massive amount of units into space within a short time. Those Valkyries that require repairs will be taken onboard the carriers aircrafts stationed over there", and pointed down the lanes towards a very large ship that had enough space to store several Destroid.or two, "The technicians will check your Valkyries up and patch them if they have any issues, full repairs will be done on the destroyer. You all may rest there on that ship and the 'Majestica', but for now I want all of you to get your 'Valley-Cats' to those carriers – and remember to get oxygen masks from the advisors, air is a bit tight there on the 'Majestica'. Understood?"

Everybody nodded and saluted. Both Bronco and Vikksdottir saluted back.

"Don't be afraid about the future", the Major added before he and the Lt. Commander left the group, "You all will make it. 'Marauder Gauntlets', dismissed…"

"Hey Rooks – Those guys over there are stealing your 'trophy", Sqype said to Rooks, who then spotted the group of scientists and other men and women with jackets from the 'RDF Research Dept.'. Indeed, the torn armored arm of the gigantic hulk-creature they fought against was placed upon a type of truck in order to be transported away.

"That's thing you took with you was a good idea, Rooks", Vikksdottir said, before she left them, "The 'Research Dept' will perhaps find ways to penetrate such thick armors…"

Though angry, he was sure there was nothing he could say against that…Instead, he watched as the vehicle drove ahead to the main access lifts of the bay, taking his loot with them.

"There goes my trophy", he complained…

----

Somewhere in the "Prelodae District" ... District Hospital...

The hallways were active once again ever since the four-legged beast has been defeated. Doctors, nurses and other civilians took care of patients as they moved along the corridors. The victory of the men and women who volunteered was short, since the critical patients needed to be supported by main power immediately - but nonetheless, they were thanked for saving many lives. Their bravery shall never be forgotten. As minutes passed by, Mick started to hear again as he walked back down with other policemen and volunteers to the cafeteria. Hearing steps of a person running down the stairs from behind, Mick turned around and saw one of the volunteers waving at him, bringing his SMG back to him and thanked him for rescuing him from the "dog-like" creature.

Shaking hands, the man said, "Hey - Great job, Rookie, looks like we and many others will manage to survive after all". Lifting his hand, the 2nd policeman added, "You and the other volunteers can head back to cafeteria. I think us policemen can take care of the rest here."

"No problem", Mick replied and smiled back," - just glad that thing is dead... I was not thinking of getting a dog as a pet, anyway..."

The group chuckled a bit.

"Well guys, I've gotta go – Won't be staying at the cafeteria, though. My co-pilot was sent here after a flight sortie, but I need her now so we can get to our flight group", he added.

"That's ok. Here, take these keys", the leader of group said, "If those things haven't screwed the vehicles outside, you could take one of gas-powered jeeps. The key has a universal function, so it'll fit with any one of them. Don't think you should have any trouble driving them", He tossed the keys towards Mick, "We're gonna be busy here. But thanks again for helping out and good luck."

The young pilot was glad about getting the keys. Looking at his side, he spotted the SMG that the policeman handed out. Wanting to give it back, Mick pulled it out and wanted to hand over to the leading policeman, but instead, the uniformed man refused to take it. "You better keep that", the policeman replied, "- I know I shouldn't be handing out equipment like this like an arms-dealer, but the world out there ain't safe anymore. Dunno if it's a good idea to be running around out there, but there are more things out there that I've seen that are far more dangerous than the 'thing' you killed here - We, we tried to stop those things but - ". The policeman shook his head and lowered his face, "We, we were outnumbered, but those - those bugs...", he continued with a sorrowed voice. A few of them helped him, trying to cheer him up, "but listen, I know you need to get out of here - You better watch your back, understand?", the man added. It was paradox to see a person with such leadership and strength be so demoralized. Mick's face went slightly serious. His words sounded very alarming, yet he only wanted to warn Mick not to walk incautiously. "I'll keep that in mind - Well, see you guys around", Mick said and wove his hand and saluted at them, "Take care, guys."

Mick left from the group and went down the stairs. A group of doctors came up the stairs as Mick walked downwards. They fought carrying a patient up the stairs since the elevators were vastly occupied. Anxious to see FoxyRoxy again, he walked as fast as he could. It did not take long until he reached the cafeteria area. Another few men and women shook hands with him as they recognized him as the "hero in the space suit" who conquered the beast – which only made him even more nervous. Walking to the spot where FoxyRoxy could be found, he spotted her on her bed, just finished putting on her HEC suit. At the moment Mick reached her bed, she made a happy face when she noticed Mick was behind her - She must have felt his presence.

"Mick! You're still alive! Thank goodness", she said with joy. She turned around, got up and ran to him. Although she felt a little dizzy from the medical substances she received, she hugged him. Tears filled her eyes again... "I can't believe you are here... You held your promise...", she said softly... "I can't believe you made it!"

Having her in his hands, he said, "You know... There was only one person I was thinking about, before that beast was about to shred me into pieces...", he hugged her very tightly - just for a short moment, and then opened his arms again, "Listen, we better get out of here now... to the launching deck..."

"I am still not in good shape. The medics said I could leave the bed, but I walking could take a while...", she replied and looked down to the floor, "They gave me a row of shots and infusions, which should help me to recover a little faster, but the side-effect is that my balance-sense would be kinda 'drunk...' - It's like learning to walk when I was a baby and - Whoops!", Mick went down to his knees a little and threw his right arm behind her knees and picked her up, like holding a bride.

"Heh, no problem Roxy!"

Saying good-bye to everybody who thanked him once again, Mick carried her through the halls and outside of the hospital. The bloody corpses were still lying around. FoxyRoxy could not bear to look at them at all - She was too disgusted and further more frightened. Many things were a bit different as Mick walked out, but he did not react to them really.

"I know how you feel...", Mick said. He forced his face to look away from them as well as they passed by. "Why are they attacking us...", FoxyRoxy asked herself in a soft voice.

"I don't know...", he said back to her, "but what I know is that the Zen's want the SDF-1... and maybe these things want it, too". They arrived at a jeep, which seemed to still be intact - Mick slowly laid her inside.

"That medical stuff surely is strong...", she said as she felt short dizziness again.

"Don't worry, just try to stay awake...", the young pilot said back to her and stuck in the keys, starting the motor, "Hmm, I just hope I still know how to drive...", he added and pushed the gas pedal slowly with his foot. The area around them seemed quiet, but he kept scanning the area with his eyes. It only took Mick a few seconds before he managed to drive the jeep steadily as they drove towards the direction of the Veritech Barracks.

-----

Bridge Command, rear section…

Bridge Commander Claudia Grant received green signals that the last few flight squadrons commanded for returning have finished docking. "Admiral Gloval, receiving message", she said, "All requested replacement squadrons and divisions have been deployed. The 'Majestica' has signaled that they and ARMD-Seven and Eight are holding their positions above us as well."

"Good news, Admiral", Sammie reported, "Communication array has been re-established and is about to rebuild all the communication network between the fleet and the SDF-1."

As she said this, Vanessa, Claudia and Lisa began to see symbols and lines showing that their systems were regaining control.

"Fleet Command station back online, Admiral", Lisa added.

"Secondary communication network, online – Direct communication line established to the ARMD carries", Claudia also reported.

"Communication array is allowing my sensor screen to display our units once again, too – Admiral"

Gloval lifted his head... "It was strange enough that the creature called back it's... units...", he said with a deep voice, "It looks like they have noticed that they were in disadvantage after the 'Majestica' managed to get into position."

"Yes sir", Vanessa confirmed, "They immediately retreated right after it showed up..."

"Maybe they underestimated the situation...", Lisa proposed.

"I think this is a chance of having a break...", Gloval replied loudly to all, "I am ordering all of you 'off-duty' for a while".

Every bridge operative turned themselves towards the Admiral, surprised about his sudden order. Simultaneously, the three SDF-1 operatives behind Gloval said, "What?", in a surprised accord.

"Sir?", Claudia asked...

"Excuse me, sir? Off-duty?", Lisa asked, too, who was surprised from his order as the others were.

The Admiral leaned into his seat and smoke his pipe as few times, then said, "... Yes, you have all understood me correctly, ladies... Your shifts have been exceeded and I think it would be good that you all should take a break. Besides, in a few hours, I want to see all commanding officers in the main conferance room. We need to discuss about the new enemy and what we can do about it.... but that is not important right now. Please, recover as well as possible. I want all of you to rest. I will be needing you fresh and ready when the enemy wants to attack again. Substitute operatives will take care of your stations in the meantime."

"Understood, sir."

Lisa Hayes, Claudia Grant and the three operatives exited the rear Bridge Command through the access door and walked all together through the corridors past security guards and other officers and operatives into one of the large service elevator.

- Elevator, riding down -

The five women stood alone in the elevator. They stood for a few seconds silently, listening to the elevator make it's way down. A computer sound kept beeping as they passed the many decks of the command section ... Lisa opened her uniform slightly, leaned against the wall of the elevator and slid downwards until she sat on the floor ground...

"Maybe that ordered break wasn't such a bad idea after all...", she said and sighed. They were exhausted indeed. Claudia also leaned against another wall and crossed her arms, "I still can't believe what is going on..."

"Yeah...", Vanessa added nervously, "Now that you say it - That thing is terrifying... I hope we will survive..."

"Did you see how our units fought against those creatures?", Lisa asked as she looked up at them, "It was pretty heavy"

"Now now, ladies. Calm down. Our troops just made it to get those thing to retreat", Claudia said as she tried to bring in some optimism into the group.

"Well, I am glad that the Veritech pilots managed to defend the deck", Vanessa said... and thought about a certain person...

When Vanessa said "Veritech Pilot", Rick Hunter suddenly showed up in Lisa's mind...

"Oh Chris... I hope he's ok", she said and looked into the corner of the elevator, having a terrible feeling in her, hoping he was alright. Vanessa lifted her head slightly when she heard his name.

"Sammie...", Claudia asked.

"Yes, Claudia?".

"You still haven't told him how much you love him yet... Have you?"

The young officer blushed just when she mentioned, "I do love him... but I never had the chance to tell him..."

The others looked at her. Vanessa turned away silently. Her hand formed into a fist slightly as Sammie spoke. Something made her soul burn within, but nobody really noticed her short absent mind. She took off her glasses and rubbed her forehead.

"What? Was it something I said?", Sammie said, looking around with a slight fear, however not noticing Vanessa's silent anger. Kim leaned her shoulder against the wall and said, "Sammie - dearest -, this is really a bad time **NOT** to tell him what you feel for him!"

"She's right, Sam", Claudia said, "You must tell him about your feelings! Now I know why sometimes you were daydreaming while we were still on duty... especially after the 'Spector Rangers' squadron lifted off." As they spoke, a n face showed up in Lisa's mind... "...Riber..."

Sammie felt overwhelmed. "I... I was just not ready to tell him... He was so busy... Always ready for the next day... He has no idea what I really feel for him, I don't even know how I should tell him...", and spoke further.

_The young sensor officer behind them still had her back towards the group as she head the conversation of Sammie's love. Vanessa indeed did show some type of jealousy as she heard the words of Sammie leaving her mouth. Having her arms crossed, something was truly affecting her temper - Nobody really noticed her absent mind. _

Ignoring the conversation behind her for the moment, her mind went empty - Imagining herself with Chris, she felt him close towards her body, kissing each other with such passion. His presence stood right before her... Slowly getting closer to her, Vanessa unstrapped the sides of her uniform at the same moment as his hand touched the side of her shoulder and slid under her clothes, right upon her soft skin. His other hand slid under the other side of her uniform and fell towards the ground...

_She could imagine her hand drift smoothly upon his skin as they held each other - She felt every single movement... Her desire for his love disappeared at the same moment Sammie repeated_, "..._I love Chris_..."

The whole imagination disappeared... just like that...

Claudia moved closer to her and lifted her head.

"Remember, Veritech pilot are always ready to fly... and they are always ready to die for the safety of the SDF-1 and the people aboard. Roy told me once of a fear of every pilot. He said, that before launching there is a fear they get about not coming back, but they always feel better when they get back - knowing that they're going to have to launch again the next day."

Lisa wondered if Rick has this fear...

Sammie took a step back, "It's hard to talk to him... He lost many comrades during battles against the Zentraedi. He wonders why he keeps surviving... He is very alone... shy..."; she started to smile a little", quiet... charming... - He's always thinking about his fallen friends..."

Once again, it was like as if something stabbed through Vanessa's soul.

"Listen, Sammie", Claudia. "Listen carefully. I'm lucky to have Roy. If he didn't have me nor Rick Hunter, he would be just the same suicidal pilot like Chris."

"Isn't Roy still a suicidal pilot now? Why is Chris so suicidal?"

"Why Roy is such a suicide? I don't know - He's been a hotshot like this ever since I met him", Claudia said back to her, smiling, "Roy has always been a hothead... Probably the reason why he's still alive.

"But I think I know why Chris is...", Lisa's voice said from below, "As far as I know, he has got nobody. He lost his family during the bombardment of Macross Island from the Zentraedi, lost his brother after the misfold to Pluto and is constantly loosing the people in battles".

Sammie felt shocked when she heard that they were killed...

"He... lost them? He never told me...", she said sadly...

"Now I get it...", Kim said, sounding as if she understood what they were trying to say, "Sammie, how would you feel like, if you would keep loosing the people you love? It's like trying to hold water in your hands...?"

"He tries to save and protect all the lives he can... but he never manages to rescue all...", Lisa added...

Claudia also spoke up:

"He's starting to fly suicidal, because he got NOTHING to lose - His life has actually no meaning to him. You see what we mean? He thinks he can't protect their lives. He has nobody. All his loved-ones are either dead... or he doesn't know about them... and you belong to those he doesn't know about."

Their words started to give some clearness in Sammie's mind... "Oh my dear... I should have known he was in this misery... I must see him..."

"Go get him, Sammie", Claudia said in a cheerful voice, "Show him what you feel about him. Show him that you will never stop believing in him!"

The elevator reached the floor to the Main Terminal Deck.

"I must find him, but I don't know where he is...", she replied back, sounding rather lost...

"I commanded his squadron just a while ago", Lisa said. "He docked at...", she thought back shortly, the remembers, "- at Veritech Deck four C, which means he should be in the Veritech barracks now, 'Diamond Back' District."

Sammie seemed light heartened, happy to hear that he was fine.

"Don't worry, sweetheart", Claudia said, "I'll bring you there in no time. Just hop onto my jeep over there."

Before they exited the elevator, Sammie turned around, looking at Lisa, Kim and an absent-minded Vanessa Leeds... Their advise gave her hope... "I thank you all..."

The others smiled to her.

Claudia got into the jeep and started the motor.

"No problem, sweetheart - but let's first find this guy, before he gets on any stupid ideas"

Sammie quickly climbed into the jeep's seat next to Claudia and snapped on her seatbelt.

"Hold on!" Claudia stepped on the pedal, driving nearly at full spee - Soldiers and other RDF men quickly jumped from the street as they saw the jeep racing by.

"Sorry!!!", Claudia shouted back, "- But this is an emergency!"

The other women in bridge uniforms looked as Claudia and Sammie drove away...

"Gee, Lisa...", Kim said, "Has Claudia always been like this?"

Lisa looked up to her... then smiled...

As Lisa Hayes turned around, she spotted Vanessa without her glasses upon her face. Looking down to her left hand, she spotted them... crushed with her hand. The sharp edges of the glass drew a line of blood streaming slowly down her hand, dripping onto the floor...

"Va- Vanessa, your hand...", she said surprised and lifted it up, "You're bleeding - Are you al- ?". Vanessa suddenly pulled away her hand and walked passed Lisa and Kim in a somewhat hostile manor of not wanting to speak to them.

"_I'm fine..._"

----

_A sign of hope_? _Lindsay was not sure… as the view of the garbled mix of signals slowly started to re-align them to a clear picture. Thousands of voices could be heard but she had no chance in telling what was going on… Floating in the puzzle of information, she remained still as the images slowly were forming themselves_…

----

"Diamond Back" District - Veritech barracks IX, an hour and a few minutes later...

Chris was in his quarters, recovering and thinking about the recent battle. The room lights were dimmed strongly as he stared towards the ceiling. He was, in fact, thinking about the losses his squadron suffered. His new enemy was more dangerous than the Zentraedi themselves. Sitting on his bed, his thoughts wandered as he had both hands covering his face:

"I can't believe it... another loss of 12 men... I can't believe it... I provided them as much cover as possible... but there were just too many over those things... there were just too many...

I can't take it any more... I've seen so many people... their voices... I can't get out of my head... I can hardly sleep", he said quietly towards himself and looks towards a table with with a few cartridges of pills, "... the pills aren't working either..."

Chris was confused, he just didn't know what to do - until he saw his gun, inside a holster-belt next to his HEC suit, which was hanging in an open locker. Something went through his mind... It just hung there - for nothing... He got up, looking at the gun.

""""I must put an end to this """, he thought as a sweat pearl ran down the side of his face, """Too many have fallen... I can't live on like this...""", je took out the gun out of the holster and one magazine clip.

"""... It just can't go on like this...""" He sat back down on his bed, pushed the clip into the gun and pulled the top part of it until it did click.

"""...I...""" , the drop of sweat fell from his head to the floor, """...I must put an end to all of this...""" and started to pull the trigger slowly.

But just before his gun did the legendary "click", he suddenly heard someone knocking on the door...

A familiar female voice spoke from behind the door - "Chris! Are you there knocks again Chris! If you're there, please open up, I must tell you something..."

"...If I were only faster...", he said...

He pulled the gun away from the side of his head, laid it on top of the table and went over towards the door and opened it. "Yes...", he said - then his eyes opened wide - "Sammie? You? Here?"

At first, Sammie was quiet, then she tears to show up in her eyes - smiled, showing her teeth, then hugged him so tight that he felt a slight pain in his back...

"_Oh Chris... I'm so glad to see you... I must tell you something... I heard about your sad story... loosing your family... and... I don't want to speak further... but I just want to say ...that... that I love you_..."

Chris did not understand what she meant at first -"""How could she have known""", he asked himself.... Sammie's blue eyes were piercing through his mind, he felt paralyzed.

"... Yes, I've lost many and ... You WHAT...?" Chris was interrupted as Sammie kisses him against his lips.

The kiss was long and sweet. Chris had no control over his thoughts anymore. Sammie could not stop, her feelings were out of control as well. Both went into Chris' quarters, shutting the door behind them, still kissing each other. Both fell on top of the bed, they just could not stop. Chris could feel her passion as seconds passed by. She took off her uniform. He felt her soft skin, then he stopped, while having her laying on him, and looked deeply into her eyes.

"_I couldn't dare to loose you_, _Chris… I have lost my family after the first Zentraedi attack…_", she said with a low voice. He could not believe what she was saying, furthermore that her family was killed just like his. "_I cannot loose you – I love you – We share the same fate…_"

She was right… "I... I...", he said - He was so overwhelmed that he could not finish his sentence.

"_Shh... shh_..." Sammie whispered towards him as she laid her finger over his mouth, "_Don't talk, my lonesome angel... I love you, too. You are not alone anymore", _and kissed him further...", she said in a soft voice...

Her warm body made him felt a lot better. Their souls became one.

-----

Somewhere, deep inside the Bridge Citadel…

Walking through the halls of a certain area, a man in a highly decorated dark blue uniform is on his way to an important conference. On his way there, many operatives, officers and other officials saluted nervously as he slowly walked past them. The area, though not really loud, still had many uniformed people taking care of their own things, even engineering crewmen checking circuits – until they saw the old man about to walk past them and immediately raised themselves, clumsily bumping their heads against the opened panels as they saluted. The broad shoulders with golden 'sun' and several colored stripes, the dark blue und red colors of the uniform and the collection of badges and medals gave such majestic impression that this person could only be Admiral Henry J. Gloval, the Supreme Commander of the SDF-1.

Many steps could be heard as other people walked past the entrance to the main conference room, but only the certain taps of each step made the two guards notice the arrival of the Admiral. Saluting immediately and at the same time, both guards greeted the Admiral who also gave a salute in return as the doors opened automatically. Entering the room, he observed it once again as he walked past the authorities. The room itself was large and had many consoles and displays for presenting anything.

There were many highly ranked men and one woman in a white-blue uniform, sitting across from each other upon a wide "U" table, with enough space for anybody to present anything. Along the walls and ceiling were portable holo-screens and other displays and a few operatives holding pages and other things ready. Noticing the Admiral, all officers who sat and were having conversations immediately interrupted them, raised themselves and saluted shortly as Admiral Gloval made his way to the table at the center-bow of the "U". A large RDF symbol with two flags of the UEG and the collective symbol of the organizations serving with the RDF stood behind his table.

"Welcome, Admiral Gloval", one of the female operatives greeted him.

Thanking her, the Admiral stood behind his chair and took a look from the left to the right. He was proud to see all the faces he called for. The Admiral spotted Field Commander Roy Fokker, Fleet Commander Lisa Hayes, Dr. Vanderman, Major Bronco, and other highly ranked Generals, including General Li Wenlong and those of other factions, sitting on a large table fitted with other gadgets.

"Please, sit down, fellow officers", Gloval said and sat down. Everybody else did the same.

"I am pleased to see all of you here", he explained with his Russian accent, "I have ordered this council together in order to discuss the future of the SDF-1 and our new enemy. As everybody knows, this foe has invaded the inner city of the Fortress - A threat not to be ignored. We must gather solutions to eliminate this threat at all costs... First, we should begin with those who have had contact with the enemy".

Looking over towards two certain officers in flight-uniforms, the Admiral continued, "Commander Fokker, Major Bronco, you both have flown into battle against the bio-ship's fighters. What can you say about those units?"

Commander Fokker cleared his voice and spoke:

"Yes Sir. As you may know, these 'fighters' are not truly fighters. They are more like flying creatures. They're fast and have a pretty tough armor. Our Veritech fighters had a rough time trying to compete against them. Their sheer flexibility is remarkable, nothing I have ever seen my life. If we want to continue standing against them, we must focus on ways to improve our own fighters, from weapons systems to maneuverability."

"...Yeah, especially the maneuverability", Bronco added, "We were lucky we had standard armaments... The battle could have gone more than worse if we had carried a heavier payload."

"You got it, Bronco – I must say that these creatures were a lot tougher than those typical Zentraedi battlepods, too. I was forced to swap loose gunpods from down Valkyries in space just to keep up with the ammunition flow", Roy explained further, "The 'fighters' our squads fought against shot many blue -fast and deadly- projectiles... Dodging them was not easy at all..."

"... You mean 'shards', or Commander?", an aged man in a scientist suit said.

This man was Dr. Johnathan Vanderman, age 47, is the lead scientist of the RDF Research Department, next to the research team of Dr. Lang who deals more with Quantum and Protoculture Physics. He has been researching Protoculture and its secrets ever since the crash-landing of the SDF-1 on Macross Island. Vanderman has been trying to solve the uncovered secrets and mysteries, which lie within the Super Dimensional Fortress as well. Admiral Gloval always relied on his vital information and scientific reports. Dr. Vanderman had a few experimental artifacts prepared, which have been recovered during the battle against the organic ship. After putting on silicon gloves and showing a hand-sign to one of his assistances, they then brought the first experimental object.

"Yes, Admiral Gloval. This, ladies and gentlemen", he said and held up a strange pointy and dark blue shimmering object with '#1 tag', "is one of the projectiles which have been shot. Length 134 centimeters, 7.45 diameter, sharp... hard… flat ... deadly. Though many of these projectiles vary in size and length, Some are even two meters long, others even shorter – but nonetheless, they all have the same aspects."

"Definitely deadly", Bronco added.

The scientist nodded back to him and said:

"Yes. The research team has managed to salvage a few of the creatures, such as the smallest common 'fighter' and the ones, which have invaded the frontal districts of the Macross City Deck. Here is one of the flying creatures." Lifting his hand once again, another assistance responded to his signal, darkened the lights of room and activated a large screen just across the other side of the conference room. The image on the screen revealed several snapshots of mentioned creature.

"As you can see here, this 'specimen' of the 'Invid' truly is a living being with some sort of cardio-vascular systems... All what a living being needs - and for us still unknown mechanical parts, but we're working on that. They are space-hardened and seem to withstand much punishment – One of our Valkyrie pilots has even brought back an arm of a different unknown specimen – We are not done yet with its research, but we can already report that this arm is a biological wonderwork, showing signs of muscular enhancements and protection, making the beast who ever lost this arm invulnerable to standard weapons. There is a similarity between the flying creatures and the snake-like ones invading the city, besides their mechanical intersections." The screen zoomed up towards the shoulder regions, "... Inside the shoulders, these 'shards' are produced, always producing a sufficient amount as soon as a few are missing. It only takes a matter of seconds for the shoulders to replicate these needles-of-death – A true mystery… We have the equipment to examine these shoulders that act like 'shard-factories', but our efforts always end up in a dead-end, leaving our research in darkness and unable to explain how they have an unlimited supply. When the creature wants to fire off its projectiles, a chemical reaction occurs. First of all, for us unknown substances mix up inside the shoulder, which causes bubbles-development around each shard. After that and less than a few milliseconds, a very small but immense chemical reaction occurs, sending the shard forward with remarkable power, just like the gas-explosion-reaction, which occurs when you pull the trigger of a gun. The shard's speed can vary between 478 meters per second to 2.300 meters per second - depending on the age and maturity of the specimen... We know these creatures are capable of this, but anything around 700 meters per second or above would bust the shoulders…"

There was a moment of shock heard throughout the room and many of the listeners were astonished about his last words.. Admiral Gloval raised his head, "Excuse me, Dr. Vanderman - But did I understand right?"

"That would explain why the armor our Destroid units was merely nothing - like paper... ", Commander Fokker added as well, starting to understand the serious threat of these facts.

"Not only that, Commander", Dr. Vanderman added. "The whole material is quite unknown to us, although we've managed to view its atomic-structure on the layer. The density between the molecules is tremendously high - Denser than the standard Carbonite-Armor our Veritech units mainly have... The denser the material, the more better it can pierce..."

"That would mean that this...", Bronco said, starting to sound angry, "shard-thing is just as dangerous as..."

"As armor-piercing Zarlon particle cells ... Yes", Commander Hayes said, finishing his sentence,

"The special issue and rare energetic ammunition for all defensive turret units... Commonly used by Zentraedis themselves."

"Precisely, Commander Hayes...", Dr. Vanderman said, "and maybe even more dangerous. The Research Team has begun classifying each type of these specimens of the 'Invids'. The smallest salvaged 'fighter' is classified as the 'Invid-Arc-Shardling'... the 'snake-like' version as 'Invid-Shardling' and the creature that fits to the separated arm as 'Invid-Protocrusher'. There seem to many more of them, but we must gather more information and dead subjects before we can continue."

One of the Destroid Field Commanders, Roger Ultilla, stood up, slamming both hands on the table. Shouting angrily, he said, "This is impossible!... How can it be... a biological - shard - can do more kinetic damage than Zarlon-Particle cells...?!"

"Calm down, Commander Ultilla", Gloval said towards the angered person.

"Dr. Vanderman, was it possible to find out the origins of the 'bio-ship'".

"I'm afraid not, Admiral. The whole Research Department is constantly working on decoding all information data, which is lying within the Main Data-Base of this Protoculture ship. "

Lisa rose her hand shortly and said:

"I remember Officer Vanessa Leeds identifying the unknown "bio-ship" as the "Invid Articlatis Maexlaeaa" . I studied the Zentraedi/Protoculture communication language and as far as I know, "Maexlaeaa" means "Exodus". Officer Leeds could only identify its name, since the data-base was unable to access and comply its information."

The lead scientist drunk some water from his glass and laid it back on the table:

"Yes yes, the Zentraedi language can be translated too by the Protoculture data-bases... The remarkable thing we have discovered lately is that there must be a deep connection of communication between all known living being, such as Zentraedi and Humans. In other words, there is a connection between the Zentraedi and Human – but this lies deep within the Protoculture data-base. As you know, the Main Data-Base of this ship contains vital source information. Our theory is that before the SDF-1 crash-landed back on Earth... long before the Third World War and many years beyond, the ship must have been in the hands of an unknown alien specie. It is confirmed that the data-base of the ship seems to be more like a 'galactic-history-encyclopedia-logbook'. We think that the former alien ship, which is known today as the SDF-1, has came across this 'Invid' creature once..."

"Hmm, that would explain why the data-base contains information about the 'Invid-Exodus' "", Lisa proposed.

The scientist added, "Exactly. We only know that this biological menace has spent most of its time in Hyperspace - or 'Nullspace'. We do not know why the 'Invid-Exodus' exists nor where it exactly came from or why it has sent in creatures to take over this ship, but we do think that it was caught there... for a very long time... until that certain day when the Zentraedi came... Unfortunately, we are also unable to encrypt the signal that was sent into that direction before they appeared, either."

"The 'Invid-Exodus' retreated its 'fleet' exactly at the moment when it was outnumbered by the units the 'Majestica' and carriers deployed", Commander Fokker said.

"Dr. Vanderman...", Gloval asked, "Are you trying to say that the Zentraedi "lured" the 'Exodus' to us?"

"Yes, Admiral? I think that would explain why their battle-pods did not perform the usual direct attack upon us. Instead, they attacked the 'Invid-Exodus' making it somehow 'aggressive'... and then before they were swallowed up, they folded into hyperspace... leaving it behind. There is no way we can explain how the Reflex-Cannon failed and how the blackout knocked out all of our systems. The mental status of Dr. Karen-Lindsay Young is somewhat mysterious. Although she did not receive any injuries, she shows sign of amnesia and shock. I am worried if she did perhaps suffer from the sudden shutdown after all."

"Send her my personal greetings if she manages to wake up again", the Admiral said, "Regaining control of the SDF-1 also belongs to our primary objectives."

"About the Zentraedi ", Commander Fokker said, "The Zentraedi want the SDF-1 back. Remember the second attack in the orbit of Earth? They launched artillery beams around the SDF-1 and destroyed a serious amount of the RDF's fleet of ARMDs and Oberth-Class Destroyers. The SDF-1 itself has not even receive a single scratch..."

"I've lost my squadron that day...", Major Bronco said, who sounded a bit angry, "We just about to launch from one of the ARDM carriers, when one of those dreaded beam sliced through the ship..."

"I remember", Commander Fokker said. "I know. We all have lost many pilots that day."

Dr. Vanderman continued:

"Admiral Gloval, not far away from the 'Sterntaler' district's southern Terminal entrance, a large explosion has occurred, ripping a large whole to the Under Decks of the SDF-1. The lower Decks, as you know, are not directly accessible - only from one area down to the colonists - but never the less, we do not know what is down there right now. So far we've only got a few outposts, one colony station and two small bases down there along with colonists - and soldiers - doing research and exploring the area..."

"SDF-1 Operative Kim Young reported that several main water and cooling lines were severely damaged by the impact...", Lisa added after Vanderman's speech, "She has detected various numbers of gas and water leaks throughout the whole deck under the city, which is pouring constantly down. Fortunately, the gases themselves are not hazardous and the water is still circulating. We lost contact to the people down there after the impact, though. It is quite impossible to reach them, since the quite thick layer of Hyper-Carbonite that lies between the decks does not allow anything to penetrate easily..."

One of the commanding Generals spoke:

"'Sterntaler' and 'Spearhead' District are still hot spots and we're not close to getting done with the evacuation either." His voice did not sound optimistic as his view fell down towards the table.

Gloval rose his right hand towards all officers and said:

"I think this is all we can gather about this situation for now. I want the civilians to be rescued as soon as possible. We need to fortify our lines inside the city and may have to take security procedures to close the Terminal entrances between the districts. General Li Wenlong? Is it possible to receive support from your faction in both, space and inner city, fronts?"

"Admiral", the General replied with his Chinese accent, "As you may know, the sake of my people comes first – but I am willing to dissect a few of our 'Red-Dragons' from our active squadrons and allow any volunteers to assist the RDF fleet. I am assured that a certain pilot is willing to support the group of the young men and women that rescued him during the second battle. Admiral Gloval, I wish I could support you with more, but our ground troops in the city are needed to uphold control to avoid a mass panic in the Chinese districts of the city."

"I understand your concerns, General Wenlong, and I respect your decisions fully. Our defending fleet will surely appreciate to have the legendary 'Red-Dragons' in their groups,

The General bowed his head shortly, showing his thankfulness for Gloval's understanding, "Major Bronco, Commander Fokker, Dr. Vanderman, I would like to know how the new the recruits managed with the new Veritechs?"

"Besides a few, who were not happy about it, they did manage to fly - and fight - well. What would you say, Commander Fokker?", Bronco said, sounding optimistically. Fokker nodded his head as Bronco spoke further, "For sure, they noticed straight from the beginning that they would need to work as a team if they want to be successful. They did great for being beginners on their first combat sortie. The remarkable thing about them is that the new systems they used really helped them interact with incoming fire just on time. It's a tough job for both pilots and co-pilots, but I proud to say that they surely proven themselves as unique supporters in combat - Things would have gone bad without them", Fokker added.

"All enlistment divisions that consists of men and women have been merged to the newly formed 'Marauder Gauntlets' and are currently on their way to the 'Majestica'", Bronco explained, "I have already promoted and informed them on their new task as fleet-defenders. I have already requested a list for subcommanders, so they will be ready later for fleet tasks, sir."

Dr. Vanderman spoke:

"The first contact and battle against the 'Invid-Arc-Shardling' was quite a stressful experience for the female pilots. Although they have flown well, many pilots were forced to split themselves from the first battle. The second battle on deck however went a lot better. The female co-pilots were not stressed out like the first time. Since the SDF-1's magnetic-hull acts like gravity-field upon Carbonite material, it allowed the situation to be easier for females to orientate their senses. There was a tragic loss due to a shard that penetrated the cockpit and killed the RW co-pilot of an enlisted pilot, who is currently under psychological aid. Although the psychiatrists are not sure if he is mentally clear, he was also transferred to the 'Majestica' as well. We have immediately called out all technicians to replace the cockpit glass with a different type of material, though vulnerable to energetic weapons, it is able to withstand direct fire from projectiles. As emergency method, it is capable to eject the whole glass, pulling whatever object away from endangering the lives of the pilots inside – The pilots, however, will be exposed to space unless they activate the integrated cockpit heatshield."

"Yes, please do so", Gloval insisted.

"Major?", General Li Wenlong asked, "I am very sure a certain pilot from the 'Red-Dragon' division is willing to support and join the group you commanded. He is a young pilot who has actually disobeyed his orders in retreating and decided to support a downed Destroid similar to our 'Red-Dragons' who called for assistance."

"Ah yes, a few of my rookies reported this", Bronco replied, "That must have been that beast that got its arm shot off later - that 'Invid…"

"'Invid-Crusher', Major", the scientist reminded him.

"Yeah, 'Invid-Crusher' – Sure, I'm convinced that the rookies will be pleasured to meet with your pilot, sir."

The General nodded and said at last, "I will inform you later about him when he is transferred."

"Very well", Admiral Gloval said, "I am pleased to hear some good news - then let the projects continue. I think the teamwork between male pilots and female co-pilots will improve as time goes by. Dr. Vanderman, concentrate your research on finding information and improve our knowledge. I would like the rest to return to their stations, you are all dismissed."

"Yes sir", the rest replied back.

Everyone besides Admiral Gloval got up and left the room. He took his pipe out of a case, lit it and started to smoke, thinking of what to do next...

----

"Diamond Back" District - Veritech barracks IX, another hour later...

_Entering the habitat section of the barracks, a rather tall woman walked into the building where Chris and Sammie were. Wearing a blue bridge operative uniform and a bandage around her right hand, many soldiers saluted as she walked past them. Ignoring their salutes, the woman in blue walked past them, passing them with a cold shoulder - not even returning a look. Many looks followed her as she entered one of the elevators alone. She turned around and many noticed her having a strange but determined face as she disappeared behind the elevator doors._

Both Chris and Sammie were lying under the same blanket, both holding each other and staring towards the ceiling. The light of the room was strongly dimmed. Hugging Chris, Sammie felt safe and cozy as she had her head laying upon his chest.

"..._Chris..._", she whispered as she lifted her head. He looked down upon his beloved angel.

"Hmm?", he humbled quietly.

"..."

She slowly climbed up and gave him another charming kiss...

"_... My duty at Bridge Command will begin soon..._", she whispered.

"Yeah... mine too... soon"

Getting up from the bed, a rather naked Sammie Porter lifted her clothes from the side of the bed. The floor was very cold upon her feet and a light draft drifted past her shoulders that she even shivered slightly. Hugging Sammie from behind and giving her another kiss upon the side of her neck, Chris warmed her up with his arms.

"_Honey... where's the bathroom, I have check my hair somehow._"

"Just down there to your left...", he whispered back towards her.

"_I'll be right back_", she replied with a soft voice and gave him another quick kiss before walking around the corner.

Chris also lifted himself and put on his clothes again as well. As if something was calling him, Chris looked once again upon the table and saw the loaded gun lying on the table - right next to his pills. Just thinking back, he noticed that if Sammie had not shown up, he would have been a goner. Not wasting another second, Chris picked up the gun and slid it back into the holster from where he once took it. There was a moment of silence as he stuck the gun away - The bad memories were slowly coming back to his mind. He immediately took a few pill capsules out of the pill cartridges...

Hearing Sammie coming back from the bathroom, he swallowed a few pills and hid the cartridges within the locker - For sure, he did not want to have Sammie worrying about his deep wounds within his mind...

_A sound could be heard along the empty corridors of the floor. Right after the sound occurred, the doors of the elevator opened up and the female officer entered the halls. Orientating herself shortly, she looked towards her left and slowly walked down the corridor. Each step made a clear 'tap' hollowing down the halls... _

Feeling arms hugging him from behind, Sammie held Chris shortly from behind.

"_Chris, I just wanted you to know that if you have any thing you would like to talk about... any thing... please... Speak to me... ok?_"

Making a short sigh, he replied, "... I... I will..." - Somehow, she must have felt that he was not really fine. Sammie closed both her bra and uniform-skirt. Before putting her uniform-jacket, she lifted herself upon the tip of her toes, just barely reaching the side of Chris cheek and whispered, "_Just remember me, ok?_"

Her voice echoed within his mind...

Chris stood in front of her as he watched her put on her clothes. He observed as his beloved one hasted to put on her yellow officer-vest with typical red edges. Indeed, it did seem slightly tight as her breasts were slightly squeezed behind. Putting up the officer-jacket, she zipped it up almost towards the top and laid the jacket-cover over to the right side of her chest, strapping it with the Velcro area of her vest.

After throwing her hands through her hair a few times and straightening her uniform, she suddenly stood in an officer's stance in front of Chris and looked up into his eyes and asked, "_Do I look fine...?_"

Sammie did seem very tired and her hair did seem slightly messy...

"You look...", he answered, then paused. He was deeply impressed by the beauty of Sammie's appearance, " - You look beautiful...", and gave her another last kiss...

_Hearing a door opening ahead, Vanessa made a swift movement and hid behind the corner of the four-way corridor. At first, it did not seem as if she was afraid of something, but her eyes widened when she heard the voice of Sammie Porter coming from the corner... She could not understand everything she was talking about since her voice was echoing, but for sure - she was talking with Chris. Vanessa had her back against the wall and she remain silent as she heard her voice... The wound in her right hand slowly pulsed painfully as she heard Sammie speaking. Hearing a _"_G'bye..._", _Vanessa heard the steps of Sammie's walking down the hall_. _She was about to walk past Vanessa... As Sammie passed by, she did not notice the presence of Vanessa leaning against the wall just on her right down the corridor. For sure, Sammie's mind was way beyond. _

_Smiling hideously, Vanessa slowly lifted herself as Sammie disappeared into the elevator._

Chris turned away from the door, leaving it open as it was. Taking a few moments of silence, he remembered the beautiful moments between him and his beloved angel... as he thought back, he also felt a slight dizziness... For sure, the pills were slowly working on him. Even his view was getting foggy, somewhat double and slightly sensitive towards light.

Tap, tap, tap, tap...

He heard this sound repeating itself and coming closer...

"""Sammie?""" ... Did she decide to come back?

The steps entered his room and he heard the door shut.

Chris did not turn around, he remained were he was. As a few seconds passed by, he felt more dizzy than ever... For sure something was not right. Maybe he swallowed a few pills too many without even noticing it.

"..._Chris..._", a female voice said behind him. The voice did sound familiar, but he was not even sure if it was Sammie, "..._You know... Chris... I have been waiting for this opportunity for a long time..._"

Turning around, Chris view was very blurry. Indeed, he took too many of those pills. Although he could not recognize the face of Sammie, he saw her slowly lifting her left hand towards the right side of her uniform and then heard an un-strapping sound slowly ripping apart. It was the Velcro-contact being taking off from each other.

"_You know_... _I have been waiting day and night_...", the woman across the room said as her uniform-jacket fell upon the cold floor. Taking off her shoes, she slowly stepped forward, slowly moving closer toward Chris...

"_Alone... I have been waiting day and night... for you... We are both the same, you know?..._"

Chris could her an unzipping sound as she walked closer.

"_Alone... I know how you feel... How each day fate threatens to take your life... each day... each... night..._", her vest went open, revealing her breast being held by a black bra.

"_We are destined to be together, Chris... Never would she understand your feelings... our feelings..._", the soft voice said.

"""She never would...?""" - The pills were getting stronger and stronger by the moment that even his thoughts were getting lost within his own mind. He even started to loose his orientation.

Being slowly pushed down onto his bed by the women that endeavored his body, she threw the uniform-vest down on the floor as well and started to kiss him along his body... xotically. Chris' mind was somewhere lost between the feeling of love and lust... He could hear the breathing of the woman getting more and more intense as he felt once again soft breasts being pressed upon his chest. "Sammie...", Chris said quietly.

The woman did not react... The feeling was wonderful as they kissed each other passionately, her lips were soft and precious... but something was not right. As Chris' hand went through the hair of woman, it was a lot shorter than before. His mind was slowly clearing up...

"_Sammie.. Forget Sammie…. __She would never understand our feelings... She would never understand our love... She would never know about our connection..._", the woman whispered into his ear.

"But...", they suddenly tongue-kissed each other... He never kissed so intense than before... not even once in his entire life. It was strange that Sammie came back, a lot more 'aggressively' than before... or was it Sammie? As minutes passed by, more strange and unfamiliar things happened as they were together.

"Sammie loves me..."

"_Sammie would never understand us..._"

"... and I love... Sammie...", Chris said back to her...

The woman froze when she heard his words... Her sudden surprise was so intense that her heart even skipped a beat, and then pounded rapidly and nearly uncontrollable that even Chris could feel it upon his chest. She slowly lifted herself. As if it were a cure, the side-effects of the small pill overdose slowly faded away and his view was clearing up once again. Holding herself right above Chris, he suddenly recognized the voice and the face of the woman for whom he thought it would be Sammie...

"Va... Vanessa... is that you?"

Just barely recognizing her, Chris would have recognized her earlier if she had her glasses on - which was not the case however. It was not his beloved Sammie Porter above him. Vanessa remained quiet and held herself just a foot above him... For a moment, one part of Chris' self wanted Vanessa. It was the pure beauty of her that somewhat surprised and confused him. He never met Vanessa without her glasses which truly acted as a wall of pure mystery, hiding whoever was behind.

He could feel her warm body floating over him and cheeks were slightly red. Her mouth was slightly open as she looked down upon him, just endeavoring his lips for another kiss...

Chris took over himself finally.

Slowly lifting himself, Vanessa was carefully pushed away.

"_Chris? ... but..._", she said quietly...

"Vanessa... I, I don't know what to say, but... I love... Sammie"

_Vanessa's heart shattered like a precious mirror being dropped onto the ground..._

"_... but we have the same fate... We both lost our loved ones..._"

"I could never betray Sammie... She... She needs me..."

Vanessa pulled herself away... a very cold draft went past her.

"... and I need her..."

Vanessa felt very sad... and lifted herself up, picking up her clothes...

He noticed her bandaged right hand for a second. She seemed to have given up her hope for having Chris... Her last chance and wish failed upon her... Chris remained upon the bed sitting as Vanessa slowly put on her clothes again... She did not dare to turn herself once more in front of Chris... She was sad and furthermore embarrassed for trying to get the love of somebody she already lost for good.

"Vanessa, listen - I'm sorry..."

She lifted herself and stood straight, standing in front of the door and having her back towards Chris. He heard her sniff a few times and she lowered her head shortly, perhaps wiping the tears off her face... and again. A few tears dropped upon the floor. She opened the door, but then stopped for a second.

"sniff _Chris_?", she asked with a very sorrow voice, asking for his attention for a last time.

Chris lifted his head and responded, "Yes... Vanessa?"

She stood with herself halfway out of the room, her head although looking towards the floor - with guilt... She was only a step away from loosing Chris for good... Another tear tapped upon the floor.

"_I'm sorry about what happened... but could we..._", she said - and interrupted shortly as she sniffed once again sadly, " -_ I mean, I would never ever put myself between you and Sammie again - but_ _could ..._", she paused shortly again, "_... could we still be friends?_"

A few seconds passed by...

Chris lifted himself from the bed and stood up.

"How could I ever say 'no'?", he replied light-heartened.

For a second, Vanessa smiled... She felt satisfied. Grabbing the broken pair of glasses out of her pocket, she looked upon them for a moment. One of the lenses was broken and her hand ached slightly just looking at them. Deciding to leave Chris and Sammie alone for good, she laid the glasses upon a small ledge that was to her right. She laid the glasses right next to the keys that were lying there as well. Without saying another word, Vanessa exited his room and closed the doors. He could hear the tapping steps of her shoes slowly fading away as she walked along the halls. Chris was alone now... Walking over towards the door, he took a look towards the broken pair of glasses she left behind...

_Exiting the building from the rear entrance, a very sad Vanessa Leeds closed the door behind her... She was alone... _

_A wave of sorrowness fell upon her that caused her to fall softly onto her knees... _

_She started to cry... Her feelings were far beyond the sense of happiness._

_She was alone again, in such a dark time... She did not know what to do... _

_She understood that she did a grave mistake years ago…_

_And now she must face the worst consequence of being…_

_Alone..._

_In a time where their lives are threatened to be lost…_

_----_


End file.
